Re: Overlord Mk 2
by gabrielchiong11
Summary: We all know how the story goes. However, this time will be different. Follow Momonga as he travels the New World alone without Nazarick and has brought along a certain Guardian. AU rewrite of Overlord Mk. 2
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I** **do not own Overlord nor the elements used in the story** **. All of this belongs to their respective owners.**

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The knight in full plate armor stood before the girl and her little sister, his sword raised high.

His blade gleamed in the sun, and he poised himself, ready to end their lives in a single merciful stroke.

The girl squeezed her eyes tightly shut and bit her lower lip. She had never asked for this. She had been forced into her present circumstances. If only she had some strength, she might have resisted the enemy in front of her and fled.

However — the girl did not have that strength.

Thus, there could only be one outcome to this situation.

That would be the girl's death, at this very place.

The longsword fell—

—and there was a huge sound of sword clashing with another sword

The girl gingerly opened the eyes which had been squeezed shut.

The first thing she saw was the back of a person who suddenly came in front of her.

He was holding an intricate single-edge black blade whose length is a tad bit shorter than the average long swords and he was holding it with a reverse grip of its hilt.

Then, she saw the sword's owner.

The knight in front of her was frozen in place, his eyes looking at the person in front of him . His completely defenseless posture clearly displayed the fear that filled him.

As though drawn by the knight's gaze, the girl could not help but turn and look in the same direction as him.

Then she saw the person who saved her turn his head and looked at her.

And so — the girl gazed upon despair.

What she saw was darkness

And in the moment that it resolved itself in her eyes—

"Hiiiiiiii!"

—a deafening shriek came from the girl.

It was an opponent which humanity could not overcome.

Twin points of crimson light burned brightly within the empty eye sockets of a bleached skull. Those two points of light coldly scanned the girl and the others present, like a predator sizing up its prey. Within its fleshless hands it grasped a sword that had blocked the knight's long sword.

It wore an intricately detailed black robe, and it resembled nothing so much as an incarnation of death, born from the darkness of another world.

In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.

It was as though time itself had stood still in the wake of a Supreme Being's advent.

The girl forgot to breathe, as if the sight had stolen her soul away.

Then, in this silent realm, the girl began choking, and gasped for air.

This avatar of death must have manifested itself in order to guide her to the land of the dead. It was only natural to think so. But then, the girl who thought this way suddenly realized that something was wrong. That was because the knight who had been planning to kill her was in front of the being and the being in front of her spoke.

"Hmm this is what I call a experiment successful, indeed it is truly a success."

The being said in a deep tone, one could say a perfect tone for an absolute ruler to all who kneels before him.

"Indeed it was Mein creator if you said that it was a success, then I applaud you for this successful experiment."

She heard a dramatic voice of a another person who had suddenly appeared right in front of her.

Then she saw another being.

Its face was flat, with no nose or other facial features. Its mouth and eyes were replaced by three empty holes. There were no eyeballs, teeth, or a tongue; just three black holes which looked like they had been drawn on by a child with a black marker.

The pink, egg-like head was smooth and shiny, without a single hair to mar its surface.

It wore a stylish uniform and a hat engraved with a strange emblem that made her think that he was a noble in monstrous appearance.

It was strange, really, she didn't feel anything ominous about the strange being it was like the total opposite than the being who saved her.

"Gaaah..."

A cry that sounded like a wail crept into her ears.

From whose mouth had that sound come? It felt like it could have come from hers, or that of her little sister, shivering in fright, or from the mouth of the knight that had been about to kill her.

A skeletal left hand slowly extended itself — its fingers spreading as though reaching for something, and they moved toward the knight in front of her.

"I suggest you should look away Mein Fräulein, it will be a terrible sight to behold."

The strange being warned her as if he knew what was going to happen.

She heeded the warning of the strange being and averted her eyes, if she hadn't, then would see a far more horrible sight instead.

"「Grasp Heart」."

The incarnation of death clenched its fist, and the girl heard the sound of crunching metal.

Though she was afraid to take single peek, curiosity got the better of her and the girl wrenched her eyes away, whereupon saw the body of the knight. He was sprawled motionless on the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

He was dead.

There was no doubt that he was dead.

The danger that had almost claimed the girl was no more. But this was no cause for celebration. The death that stalked her had merely taken a more concrete shape.

That death drew close to the girl, who watched it with terrified eyes.

The darkness in her field of vision grew ever larger.

It's going to swallow me up.

As the girl thought this, she clutched her sister tightly to herself.

The notion of escape no longer existed within the girl's head.

If her opponent were human, she might be able to cling to some faint hope and struggle desperately for her life. But the being before her shattered that hope like spun glass.

Please, at least let me die without pain.

That was all the girl could hope for.

Her shuddering sister hugged her tightly. All she could do was apologize for her weakness, for being unable to protect her sister's life. She prayed that her sister would not be lonely as they went on to the afterlife, because they would be travelling there together.

And then—

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 _Hello guys it is me gabrielchiong11 and is back to day one *laughing*_ _So I hope you enjoy this chapter and guess who's the certain someone that came with our Lord._ _And if you know the answer please put it on the review section so that in public everyone knows the answer_ _so be sure to press the fav. button if you like the story and leave a comment._ _gabrielchiong11 out._


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in the story.** **All of this belongs to their respective owners.**

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In the year 2138 AD there was a term: DMMO-RPG.

That word was an acronym for "Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game".

These games were played by connecting a dedicated console to the brain via a neuronal nano-interface — an intracerebral nanocomputer network, created from the fusion of cyber- and nanotechnology.

These were games that allowed one to enter a virtual world and experience it as though it were real life.

And among the myriad DMMO-RPGs that thronged the market, one of them stood head and shoulders above the others:

YGGDRASIL.

This game had been painstakingly developed and released twelve years ago, in 2126.

Compared to other DMMO-RPGs of the time, YGGDRASIL's selling point was "player freedom".

It had over two thousand basic and advanced job classes.

Every class had a maximum of fifteen levels, and so in order to reach the overall level cap of one hundred, one would need to take at least seven different classes. However, players could take as many classes as they wanted as long as they met each class's prerequisites. A player could even take a hundred classes at level one each, although that was very inefficient. As such, in this system, it was virtually impossible to make identical characters unless one was deliberately trying to do so.

In addition, one could use various creator tools (sold separately) to fully customize one's armor, weaponry, flavor text, appearance, and other cosmetic settings.

A vast playing field awaited its players. There were nine worlds in total: Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim.

It boasted a massive world, numerous classes, and freely customizable appearances.

These features ignited the creative spirits of its Japanese players, and sparked what would later be known as a stylistic revolution. So popular was it that whenever the word "DMMO-RPG" was mentioned in Japan, listeners would immediately think of YGGDRASIL.

—Still, all these were things of the past now.

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Scene Change

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A gigantic table carved of gleaming black stone sat in the center of the room, surrounded by forty one luxurious chairs.

However, most of those seats were empty.

Once, every single place had been filled, but now only two were occupied.

One of the seated people was clothed in a magnificent black academic robe, edged in violet and gold. The collar seemed excessively gaudy, but somehow it fit the overall design.

However, the exposed head was a bare skull. Points of dark red light glowed in its large eye sockets, and behind that skull glowed a halo of black radiance.

The being in the other seat was not human either, merely a mass of a black, sticky substance. Its tar-like surface roiled and writhed continuously, never staying in the same shape for more than a second.

The former was an Overlord — the highest-ranked of those magic casters who had become undead in order to learn the most potent spells. The latter was an Elder Black Ooze, which boasted the most powerful corrosive ability of the slime families.

One might encounter these monsters in the most difficult dungeons. Overlords could use powerful spells of the highest tiers of magic, while Elder Black Oozes were dreaded for their ability to degrade weapons and armor.

However, they were not game monsters, but players.

In YGGDRASIL, players could choose their character races from three broad groups; humanoid, demihuman and heteromorphic.

Humanoids were the basic player type and comprised humans, dwarves, wood elves, and the like. Demihumans tended to be ugly, but possessed superior attributes to humanoids. Examples of demihumans were goblins, beastmen, ogres, and so on. Finally, heteromorphic races had monstrous abilities, but despite their stats being generally higher than those of other races, they also possessed various drawbacks. There were around seven hundred playable races in total, including the advanced versions of these races.

Naturally, the Overlord and Elder Black Ooze were among the high-tier heteromorphic races that were playable.

The Overlord — who was speaking at the moment — did not move his mouth. That was because even the most advanced DMMO-RPGs of the time still could not overcome the technological hurdle of properly modelling the changes on a character's face in response to emotions and speech.

"It's really been a while, Herohero-san. Although this is the last day of YGGDRASIL, I didn't expect you to show up."

"Indeed it has, Momonga-san."

The two of them spoke with the voices of grown men, but compared to the voice of the former, the latter's words lacked force, or perhaps it could be said that they lacked energy.

"You stopped coming online after you changed your job IRL, so how long has it been... about two years?"

"Ah — seems about right — wah, it's been so long… this is bad. I've been doing so much overtime recently that my sense of time is starting to go weird."

"That's really bad, right? Are you okay?"

"My body? Well, it's a mess. I haven't had to see a doctor yet, but I'm almost there, it's really bad. A lot of times, I feel like I want to run away from it all, but then I think about how I need money to live and then I go back to work like a whipped slave."

"Uwah—"

The Overlord — Momonga — lowered his head in an "I can't take it" gesture.

"That's terrible."

As though following up on Momonga's comment, Herohero delivered a grim monologue, his words laced with an unimaginable reality.

The two of them griped loudly about the foolishness they encountered in their working lives.

Subordinates who did not know how to report, communicate, and discuss things, spreadsheets that changed by the day, scoldings by their superiors for not meeting various KPIs, working late every day until they could not go home, gaining weight because of their irregular lifestyles, and the increasing amounts of medicine they had to take every day.

Herohero's grievances burst forth like a broken dam, and Momonga lent his ear to him.

A lot of people were averse to discussing reality in a virtual world. It was fairly normal for people to not want to talk about their offline lives in a game.

However, this was not so for the two of them.

The guild they belonged to — a group that was founded and managed by players. Ainz Ooal Gown — had two conditions that each of its members had to fulfill. The first was that everyone had to be a working member of society. The other was that they had to play heteromorphic characters.

Because of these rules, the topics they discussed often revolved around their jobs in the real world. Any member of the guild would field these questions and, as such, the conversation between the two could be considered standard fare for the guild.

After about ten minutes, the torrent of words that flowed from Herohero dwindled to a trickle.

"...I'm sorry for making you listen to my whining. I can't complain much IRL."

The place corresponding to Herohero's head seemed to sway, as though he were bowing in apology. Thus, Momonga replied:

"Don't worry about it, Herohero-san. I made you come online despite you being busy, so listening to your complaints is only expected. I'll hear you out, no matter how many you have."

Herohero seemed to have recovered some of his old energy, and with a somewhat more energetic laugh, he replied:

"Ah, I'm grateful for that, Momonga-san. I'm glad I could meet a friend after signing on."

"I'm very happy to hear you say that too."

"...Although it's about time for me to log off."

Herohero's tentacle waggled in mid-air, as though he were operating something. Indeed, he was operating a menu.

"You're right, it is getting pretty late…"

"I'm sorry about this, Momonga-san."

Momonga sighed gently, as though he didn't want Herohero to sense the regret in his heart.

"Well, if it's like that, then it's a shame… time flies so fast when you're having fun."

"I really did want to stay with you to the end, but I'm about to fall asleep."

"Ah — well, you do sound pretty tired. Then, you should log out soon and have a good rest."

"I'm really sorry… Momonga-san. Although, how long do you plan to stay, Guild Leader?"

"I intended to stay on until I was automatically logged out once the servers shut down. Since it's still a ways off, maybe someone might come by in the meantime."

"Is that so… still, I really didn't expect this place to be so well preserved."

At this moment, Momonga was grateful that he had no way to show his expressions. If he did, Herohero would probably have seen his face twist up. Even then, his voice would betray how he truly felt, so Momonga kept quiet, in order to suppress the feelings surging up within him.

He had worked hard to maintain the guild precisely because he had built it up along with everyone else, but hearing words like these from one of his guild members sparked a mix of complicated emotions in his heart. However, these feelings dispersed like mist as Herohero continued.

"Momonga-san, you must have kept the guild going as its leader so we could come back to it at any time. Thank you very much."

"...It was a guild built by everyone, so it's my job as guildmaster to keep things going so that the members can come back at any time."

"Yes. We had fun with the game because you were our guildmaster, Momonga-san… I hope that when we meet again, it'll be in YGGDRASIL II."

"I haven't heard anything about a second game… but like you said, I'd be glad if we could meet like that."

"I'll look forward to it! I'm having trouble staying awake… I think I'll log off first. I'm glad I could meet you in the end. Goodnight."

Momonga wanted to say something, but he hesitated for a moment, and then he spoke:

"I was very happy to meet you too. Goodnight."

A smiley appeared near Herohero's head. Since characters in YGGDRASIL could not express emotions through their facial expressions, they used emoticons instead.

Momonga worked his control interface, and produced a similar smiley.

Herohero's last words were, "Let's meet up again somewhere."

—And so, the last of the three guild members to come online tonight vanished.

Silence descended once more — it was as though nobody had ever been here in the first place. Nothing was left behind.

Momonga looked at the place where Herohero had been sitting, and he muttered the words he wanted to say.

"Today's the last day of the game, I know you're tired, but we'll never have a chance like this again, why don't we stay together until the end—"

Of course, there was no response, because Herohero had already returned to reality.

"Haahh."

Momonga's sigh came from the bottom of his heart.

In the end, it was better that it had remained unsaid.

During their brief exchange, he could already tell how tired Herohero was from the sound of his voice. Still, despite his fatigue, Herohero had still responded to the e-mail he had sent, and logged on for the last day of YGGDRASIL before it closed down. He should have been grateful enough for that. Asking him to stay on would not just have been a matter of being thick-skinned, but actively causing him trouble.

Momonga stared at the seat Herohero had occupied until just now, and then turned to look at the other thirty nine seats. Those were the places where his old comrades had once sat. After going a circle around the table, Momonga returned his eyes to Herohero's place.

"Let's meet up again somewhere… huh."

Let's meet up again somewhere.

See you again.

He had heard these words several times before, but they had never come true.

Nobody had ever returned to YGGDRASIL.

"When and where will we meet again—"

Momonga's shoulders shook violently, and the words he could no longer hold back exploded forth:

"—Are you kidding me!?"

He pounded the table as he shouted.

The YGGDRASIL system registered this action as an attack, and began the complex calculations of Momonga's barehanded attack strength against the table's defensive strength to determine the final total of damage inflicted. In the end, the area Momonga had struck emitted a simple [0].

"This is the Great Tomb of Nazarick that we built together! How could you abandon it just like that!?"

After he shouted the words in his heart, the only thing left in there was emptiness.

"...No, that's not right. They didn't abandon it lightly; they simply made the choice between reality and fantasy. It couldn't be helped. Nobody would betray the guild. Everyone who made that decision must have found it painful…"

Momonga muttered like he was trying to convince himself, and then he stood up. He walked toward the wall, where an elaborately decorated magic staff was kept.

—Seven serpents twined around the body of the staff, which resembled the kerykeion carried by Hermes Trismegistus. The serpents' mouths gaped open in agony, and each mouth held a gem of a different color. The grip was exquisitely carved out of crystal and glowed with blue light.

Anyone would be able to recognize this staff as a supremely high-quality item, and it was a Guild Weapon that was unique to this guild. One could call it the symbol of Ainz Ooal Gown.

This staff, which should have been a treasure held by the guildmaster, was instead kept in this room as a decoration.

That was because there was nothing else which represented the guild quite like this.

Guild weapons were typically kept hidden away in safe places and not used for their tremendous powers because a guild would be disbanded if its associated guild weapon was destroyed. Even Ainz Ooal Gown, a guild which existed at the peak of YGGDRASIL, was no exception to this.

This was the reason why the weapon had been kept here, and Momonga had never touched it, despite the fact that it had been tailor-made to complement his abilities.

Momonga extended a hand to the staff, but stopped halfway. This was because at this moment — in the last few minutes before YGGDRASIL shut down for good, he realised that soon the glorious memories he had made with his comrades would be lost forever, like tears in rain. The confusion he felt over this made him hesitate as he struggled to come to a decision.

Everyone had adventured every day, with the sole purpose of assembling the guild weapon.

Back then, they had held contests to see who could collect more raw materials more quickly, and there had been many disputes over the appearance of weapon. But slowly, after everyone's opinions were gathered, the weapon gradually took shape.

That period of time had been the prime of Ainz Ooal Gown, when all his glorious memories had been made.

People had dragged themselves online after a gruelling day at work, others had argued with their wives because they played until they neglected their families, and some even laughed and said they had taken special leave to stay home from work and log on to the game.

There were times when they had spent entire days doing nothing but talking about silly things for amusement. There were times when they would draw up plans for adventures, and times when they went looking for treasure. They had also mounted raids on enemy guilds' home bases and laid siege to their strongholds. Once, they had been attacked by a World Class Enemy — an immensely powerful, hidden boss monster — and the guild had nearly been destroyed as a result. They had also discovered many previously unknown resources, and they had placed all sorts of monsters in their guild base in order to eliminate invading players.

However, nine of them were left as of today.

Of the forty one members of the guild, thirty seven of them had quit. The other three were still registered as members of the guild, but Momonga had already lost count of the number of days since they had last come here.

Momonga opened a system console and connected to the developer's website to inspect the official guild rankings. Right now there were just under eight hundred guilds in YGGDRASIL. In the past, they had ranked as high as the ninth place, but now — as of the last day of the game — they were in the twenty-ninth place. At their lowest, they had fallen to forty-eighth place.

The reason why their ranking had not fallen even further was not because of Momonga's efforts, but because of the items left behind by his former comrades.

One could call this a hollow shell of a guild a relic of past glories.

—This was the incarnation of those days.

This was the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.

He did not want to let this weapon and its memories of their golden days stay here to be a painful reminder of the past. Yet, contrary thoughts wormed their way through Momonga's heart.

Ainz Ooal Gown had always decided things by use of a majority vote. Momonga might have been the guildmaster, but his job was mainly communicating with people and doing other minor tasks.

Because of that, now that there were no other guild members present, for the first time, Momonga thought to exercise his powers as the guild's leader.

"This is a pretty sad state of affairs."

Momonga muttered to himself as he operated his player console. He intended to equip himself in the gear that best suited the leader of a top tier guild.

YGGDRASIL's equipment was classified according to how much data each item possessed. Items with more data were ranked higher. From the lowest to the highest rank, they were low class, middle class, high class, top class, legacy class, relic class, legendary class and, what Momonga was currently selecting, divine class.

On his ten bony fingers he wore nine rings, each with a different ability. Then there was the matter of his necklace, his gloves, his cape, his shirt, and his circlet, all of which were divine class items as well. If they had a price, it would be a jaw-dropping one.

The flowing robe which covered his torso was grander than the one he had worn earlier.

A red and black aura rose slowly from beneath his feet, and at a glance it seemed extremely ominous. This aura was not the result of any skill Momonga activated. It was simply because there had been extra room in the robe's data capacity, so the special effects data for a「Disaster Aura」had been added into it. Touching that aura would not cause any harm.

In the corner of Momonga's vision, he could see various indicators which showed his stats increasing.

After changing out his gear, the fully-equipped Momonga nodded, satisfied that he looked the part of the guild's leader. Then, he reached out and grasped the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.

As Momonga grasped the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, it radiated a nimbus of reddish-black light. Tormented faces occasionally coalesced out of the roiling light, and then they crumbled and vanished again. They looked so realistic one could almost imagine them wailing in agony.

"...I wonder if they went overboard with the details."

The staff that had been made but never used had finally found its way into its rightful owner's hands, in the twilight hours of YGGDRASIL.

Momonga rejoiced as he saw his parameters rising rapidly, but at the same time he felt sad.

"Let's go, symbol of the guild. Or no — my symbol of the guild."

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Momonga left what was known as the Round Table Room.

Guild members had a ring reserved for their use. Anyone who wore that ring would automatically appear in this place when they logged into the game, barring special circumstances. If any guild members returned, they would do so in this room. However, Momonga knew that the other members of the guild would not be coming back here. In the last few minutes of the game, the only player who remained in the gigantic Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick was Momonga himself.

Momonga suppressed the emotions that were rising like a tide, and walked through the halls.

This place was like a castle built of alabaster, a magnificent world suffused with a regal atmosphere.

If one raised their head to look to the ceiling, they would see crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling at fixed intervals, radiating a warm light.

The broad hallways had brilliantly polished stone floors, which reflected the light from the chandeliers in a way that made it seem like twinkling stars were embedded in its surface.

If a visitor opened the doors on both sides of him, his attention would be captivated by the decadent furnishings within.

A third party observing this scene would probably be staring in awe.

The much-hated Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had once been attacked by the largest invading force ever assembled in the game's history. Eight guilds banded together with their allies to bring a force of over fifteen hundred players, mercenaries, and NPCs to bear on Nazarick, but in the end, they had been miserably defeated. That legendary dungeon was now reduced to this.

The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had once been a six floor dungeon, but it had been dramatically altered after Ainz Ooal Gown took control of it.

Currently, it was a ten floor dungeon, and each floor had its own unique theme.

The First to Third Floors were modelled after a tomb. The Fourth Floor was an underground lake. The Fifth Floor was a frozen glacier. The Sixth Floor was a rainforest. The Seventh Floor was a sea of magma. The Eighth Floor was a wasteland. And the Ninth and Tenth Floors were the realm of the gods — in other words, the home base of Ainz Ooal Gown, which had ranked among the top ten of YGGDRASIL's thousands of guilds.

The sound of Momonga's footsteps and the tapping of his staff rang through this holy sanctuary. After turning several corners in these vast hallways, Momonga saw a woman in the distance, heading in his direction.

She was a sensual beauty, whose lush, golden hair grazed her shoulders.

She was dressed in a long, elegant maid's outfit, with a large apron.

She was roughly one hundred seventy centimeters tall, with a slender build. Her ample bosom looked like it would burst out of her bodice at any time. Her overall appearance was attractive and gave the impression of being graceful and kind.

As the two slowly approached each other, the maid darted to the side of the hallways and bowed deeply to Momonga.

In return, Momonga raised his hand in acknowledgement.

The maid's expression remained as it was, and she kept the same smile on her face from just now. In YGGDRASIL, facial expressions did not change, but this girl was slightly different from player characters with their unchanging expressions.

This maid was a Non-Player Character. She was not controlled by the game, but by a set of AI routines. Simply put, she was a mobile doll. Even if her design was incredibly realistic, her bow was nothing more than a programmed action.

Momonga's acknowledgement of her bow was nothing more than a foolish gesture, because she was nothing more than a doll. However, Momonga had reasons for not treating her coldly.

There were forty one maid NPCs in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, each with their own unique design.

Their creator was a mangaka who had broken into the industry with his maid illustrations, and who was currently serialized in a monthly magazine.

Momonga studied the maid carefully. Apart from her looks, he also scrutinized her uniform.

The intricacy of the design, especially the fine embroidery that speckled her apron, was enough to make people gasp in awe.

Their design had been exceptionally detailed because of the declaration, "Maid uniforms are their secret weapons!" Momonga couldn't help but feel nostalgic as he remembered the complaints from the other guild members who had helped with the design.

"Ah… that's right. I think it was from then that he started saying that 'Maid uniforms are justice!' Come to think of it, I think the manga he's drawing now has a maid as a main character. Do his assistants cry when he goes overboard on the designs? Ah, Whitebrim-san."

The maids' AI routines had been programmed by Herohero-san and five others.

In other words, this maid was the personification of his past friends' hard work. He could not simply ignore her without feeling bad about it. After all, this maid was also a part of the glorious history of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Just as Momonga was contemplating these matters, the maid raised her head, as though she had spotted something, and tilted her head in surprise.

The maids would do this if anyone lingered around them for longer than a certain period of time.

As Momonga searched through his memories, he could not help but be impressed by Herohero's elaborate programming. There should have been other hidden poses programmed into them as well. Momonga wanted to see them all, but time was very tight.

Momonga glanced at the translucent watch on his left wrist and checked the time.

As he thought, there was no time for him to spend waffling around.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Momonga walked past the maid after that painful farewell. As he passed the maid, there was no response, but that was only to be expected. Still, even if she did not reply to him, Momonga still felt that it had to be said, because it was the last day of YGGDRASIL.

Momonga continued forward, leaving the maid behind.

After a while, a gigantic staircase appeared before Momonga's eyes. It was wide enough that over ten people could walk down it side by side, arms outstretched, with no problems. A luxurious red carpet lay on the steps. Momonga slowly descended the stairs, until he reached the lowest floor — the Tenth Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

The place where he had arrived was a large receiving room, with several figures within.

The first to enter Momonga's line of sight was a distinguished old gentleman in a butler's outfit.

His hair was pure white, even the beard and moustache near his mouth. However, the old man's back was ramrod-straight, like a sword forged of steel. His face was deeply wrinkled and gave onlookers the impression that he was a kind and gentle person, but his keen eyes were like those of an eagle sizing up its prey.

There were six maids standing behind the butler. However, these maids were different from the one Momonga had met earlier, in looks and equipment.

The maids wore gauntlets and greaves of gold, silver, black, and other colored metals. Their armor was designed to look like the outfits of maids in manga. They did not wear helmets, but instead white headdresses. In addition, every girl was armed with a different weapon. They were the very picture of battle maids.

Their hairstyles were also varied; they wore their hair in buns, ponytails, long and straight, French curls, and so on. The one thing they had in common was that every single one of them was attractive. The exact way in which they were attractive also varied within them; one was sporty and athletic, one resembled a demure Japanese maiden, one of them had a seductive allure, and so on.

These girls were NPCs, but they were distinctly different from the other maids, who had simply been designed for entertainment. Their purpose was to defend against invaders.

In a game like YGGDRASIL, guilds enjoyed several benefits if they possessed a guild base of castle tier or higher.

One of these was NPCs for base defense.

The NPCs that the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick could field were undead monsters. These automatically spawning NPCs — or "pop monsters" — had a maximum level of thirty. Even if they were destroyed, after a while they would respawn on their own, at no cost to the guild.

However, players could not customize the AI and appearances of these "pop" NPCs.

As such, they were hardly useful in deterring intruders, who were universally players.

There was also another type of NPC; the ones designed from the ground up to their makers' satisfaction. If a guild possessed a castle-grade guild base, the owning guild would be allowed seven hundred levels to be distributed between any number of NPCs they wanted.

Because the highest level in YGGDRASIL was one hundred, by those stipulations, a guild could make five level one hundred NPCs and four level fifty NPCs, or any combination thereof.

When designing an original NPC, one could customize weaponry and other equipment in addition to clothing and appearances. As a result, one could create NPCs that were far stronger than the automatic spawns and place them in key locations.

Of course, not every NPC had to be designed for battle. A certain guild which called themselves the "Kitty Kingdom" fielded no NPCs other than cats or cat-related creatures.

In this way, each guild could freely determine their unique style.

"Umu."

Momonga placed his thumb on his chin, and looked at the butler and maids who were bowing to him. Momonga typically used teleportation magic to move through the various rooms, so he had not had many chances to come this way. Looking at the staff filled him with nostalgia.

He reached his hand out and touched an invisible menu, opening a page that only guild members could see. Then, he selected an option from several choices. As he did so, the names of the butlers and maids appeared over their heads.

"I see. So that's what they were called."

Momonga laughed softly, at himself for forgetting their names, and also because of the fond memories they brought up in him. There had been quite a few arguments between his colleagues when they had chosen names for the NPCs.

The butler — Sebas's — design was that of a house steward.

The six maids beside him were combat maids loyal to Sebas. Together, they were called the "Pleiades." In addition to these maids, Sebas was also in charge of the Tomb's manservants.

The text box for Sebas contained more detailed information, but Momonga did not feel like reading it. The servers would shut down soon and he had to be somewhere before then.

As an aside, all the NPCs apart from the maids were also very well fleshed-out. This was because the guild members were all fans of complex backstories and details. Many of the guild members were artists and programmers, and a game like this which emphasised the customization of appearances — allowing them to indulge their desire to create and design — was a godsend to them.

Originally, Sebas and the combat maids were intended to be a last line of defense against invaders. However, if enemy players could penetrate this deeply into the tomb, they would be able to handily defeat Sebas and the maids, so they were little more than speedbumps to buy time. However, no player had ever made it this far, so they had been waiting here for orders.

Without orders, all they could do was wait for a chance to be of use.

Momonga tightened his grip on the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.

He knew it was foolish to feel pity for NPCs. They were nothing more than a collection of electronic data, and the closest they could come to real emotion was a very skilled set of AI routines.

However—

"As guildmaster, I shall put the NPCs to good use."

Momonga could not help but laugh at himself for that incredibly lame line, and then he gave them a command.

"Follow me."

Sebas and the maids bowed respectfully, to show they had heard and acknowledged the order.

Leading them away from this place was not what the guild members had intended for them. Ainz Ooal Gown was a guild that respected the will of the majority. It was forbidden for an individual to selfishly manipulate the NPCs that everyone had made together.

However, this was the day when the curtains would fall on everything. Given that, everyone would probably forgive his indulgence.

As Momonga thought about this, he continued moving forward, followed by the sounds of many footsteps.

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Scene Change

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Eventually, the group arrived at a vast hemispherical dome-shaped hall. Four-colored crystal lamps glittered from the ceiling, and there were seventy two niches in the walls. Most of them were filled with statues.

Each statue was modelled after a demon's appearance, and there were sixty seven of them.

This room was called "The Lemegeton." It was named after the Lesser Key of Solomon, which was a magical grimoire.

The statues in the niches were designed to resemble the seventy two demons mentioned in that book, and in truth they were golems, made out of extremely rare magical alloys. There should have been seventy two of them, but there were only sixty seven, because their creator got bored of the project and quit halfway.

The four-colored crystal lamps on the ceiling were a type of monster, and the moment an enemy entered their range, they would summon high-ranking elementals of earth, water, wind, and fire, in addition to bombarding them with area-of-effect attack magic.

If these crystal lamps all attacked at once, the firepower they unleashed could easily defeat two parties of level one hundred players, which would be roughly twelve people.

This room could be said to be the final defensive line of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

Momonga led the servants behind him past the magic circle, and laid eyes on the giant doors before him.

The majestic set of double doors were over five meters in height, and covered in intricate carvings. The left side was shaped into a beautiful goddess, while the right was made to resemble a cruel demon. So realistic was their design that even from across the room, Momonga thought that they would attack him.

Still, while the carvings looked like they could move, Momonga knew that they had never moved before.

—Since they made it all the way here, we should gather in glory and welcome these brave heroes. Let others slander us as they will, but we shall welcome them proudly and openly, like the magnanimous lords that we are.

That idea had been passed, in accordance with the majority vote rule.

"Ulbert-san…"

Ulbert Alain Odle. He was arguably the most obsessed with the idea of "evil" in the guild.

"Was it because of chuunibyou…"

Momonga felt that way as he looked around the large hall.

"...Will these two statues attack?"

He was right to feel so uneasy.

Even Momonga did not fully grasp the secrets of all the mechanisms in this dungeon. It would not be strange if one of the retired guild members had left a strange sort of present for him. And the one who had designed this set of doors was just such a person.

In the past, he had designed a very powerful golem, but shortly after activation, a flaw in the combat AI made itself known and it attacked everyone around it.

To this day, Momonga still had his doubts about whether that "mistake" had been on purpose.

"Hey, LuciFer-san, if they really attack me, I'll be mad, you know."

However, Momonga's caution in reaching for the doors was unfounded. As he touched them, they opened by themselves — although they did so slowly, in deference to their massive weight.

The air changed.

Although the atmosphere from earlier was filled with quiet solemnity, the scene before his eyes now exceeded that by far. The air became a pressure that weighed heavily on the entire body.

It was an exquisite piece of work.

And in this wide, high room—

Even packing several hundred people inside would not make the room feel crowded. The high ceiling and the surrounding walls were a predominantly white color, with golden decorations as highlights.

The numerous chandeliers which hung from the ceiling were made of precious stones of all colors of the rainbow, and they emitted a fantastic, dreamlike radiance.

Numerous flags emblazoned with different symbols hung from flagpoles sunk into the walls. A total of forty one of these flags swayed gently in the wind, from the ceiling to the floor.

In the center of this room that was tinted gold and silver, there was a flight of stairs about ten steps high. Atop these stairs was a gigantic throne, carved out of a single piece of crystal, whose back was high enough to touch the ceiling above it. A huge red banner hung down behind it, proudly displaying the symbol of the guild.

This place was located in the deepest reaches of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. It was also its most important place — the Throne Room.

"Ohh…"

Even Momonga could not help but gasp at the sheer magnificence of this room. He felt that it was easily the second most impressive location in YGGDRASIL, if not the first.

This was the most suitable place for him to welcome the final moments of the game.

As Momonga advanced through the room that seemed to absorb the sounds of his footsteps, his eye fell on the female NPC that stood by the side of the throne.

She was a beautiful woman who wore a pure white dress, and the faint smile on her face was that of a goddess. In stark contrast to her dress, her hair was a flowing, lustrous jet-black that reached down to her waist.

Although her golden irises and vertically-slitted pupils were somewhat odd, apart from those she could easily be considered a world-class beauty. However, a pair of curled horns sprouted from the sides of her head. In addition, a pair of black-feathered wings emerged from her waist.

Perhaps it was because of the horns, but her divine smile seemed like a mask that concealed her true feelings.

She wore a golden necklace that patterned after a spiderweb. It extended from her shoulders down to the tops of her breasts.

Her slender wrists were covered in a pair of lustrous silk gloves, and in her hand she held a strange weapon that looked like a wand of some sort. It was roughly forty five centimeters long, and a black orb hovered at its end, floating lightly in the air but holding its position at the end of the wand.

Momonga had not yet forgotten her name.

She was the Overseer of the Floor Guardians of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo. She was in charge of the seven NPC Floor Guardians. In other words, she was the highest-ranked character in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

Because of that, she was permitted to await orders within the Throne Room, in the deepest reaches of the Tomb.

However, Momonga turned a sharp look on Albedo:

"I knew there was a World Class Item here, but how is it that there are two of them here now?"

In YGGDRASIL, there were two hundred ultimate items in the game, known as World Class Items.

World Class Items possessed unique abilities, and some of them were so balance-breaking that they could even request changes to the game's rules by the developers. Of course, not every World Class Item possessed such insane power.

Even so, a player who possessed even a single World Class Item would be catapulted to the highest echelons of fame in YGGDRASIL.

Ainz Ooal Gown possessed eleven items of them, the most of any guild. Even that was far in excess of any other guild. The guild in second place only possessed three such items.

With the permission of the other guild members, Momonga was allowed to possess one of these ultimate items, and the rest of these World Class Items were scattered throughout Nazarick. However, most of them were stored in the depths of the Treasury, defended by its Avataras.

The only reason why Albedo could possess such a rare treasure like this without Momonga's knowledge was because the guild member who designed Albedo had given it to her.

However, since today was already the last day of the game, Momonga felt that he should respect the wishes of his comrade who had given the item to Albedo, and so he did not take further action.

"This is a good place."

Momonga's words were directed to Sebas and the Pleiades as they reached the base of the stairs leading to the throne.

After that, he began climbing the stairs, but stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. Momonga could not help but laugh, although his skeletal face could not show any expressions.

The NPCs were merely inflexible AI routines. If he did not give a specifically-worded command, they would not recognize it as an order. Momonga had forgotten this and thus he had not properly commanded the NPCs.

After his guild members left, Momonga had begun solo hunting by himself to a nearly ridiculous degree in order to earn the gold needed to maintain Nazarick. He did not build friendships with other players and avoided them, as well as the high-difficulty areas he used to visit when his guild members had still been around.

Then, he would deposit his earnings in the Treasury before logging out. This had been his routine for almost every day. As such, he did not have much contact with the NPCs.

"—Stand by."

The sound of footsteps stopped.

After Momonga gave the correct command, he ascended the final steps and arrived at the throne.

He stared openly at Albedo, who stood by its side. Though he had entered this room before, he did not recall her eyes tracking him in his memories.

"What kind of backstory was she designed with?"

All Momonga knew about her character was that she was the Overseer of the Guardians, as well as the highest-ranked NPC in Nazarick.

Driven by curiosity, Momonga opened up a console and began scrolling through the details of Albedo's flavor text.

A flood of densely-packed characters filled his vision. It was like reading an ancient epic poem. If he took his time to read it in detail, he would probably still be reading until the game ended.

Momonga felt like he had stepped on a landmine. If he could move, he would have been trembling now.

He wanted to scold himself for having forgotten that Albedo's creator was obsessed with this sort of thing.

However, since he had already opened it, he had no choice but to abandon his resistance and continue scrolling.

He didn't even skim the text for the important points; he simply scrolled to the bottom as fast as he could while looking at the title.

After skipping past vast expanses of text, Momonga's mind settled on the last line, and froze.

"She is also a slut."

He could not help but stare.

"...Eh? What does this mean?"

A cry of disbelief escaped Momonga's nonexistent lips. He looked the words over several more times, eyes filled with suspicion, but in the end, he could not find any other meaning to them. After several rounds of thought, he could only come to the conclusion he had started with.

"A slut… it must be an insult of some sort."

Each of the forty one guild members had designed their own NPCs, so he could not understand why anyone would want to treat the NPCs they had designed themselves in this manner. Perhaps he would understand why after reading that long essay of flavor text.

However, there were guild members who would come up with these unconventional designs.

Albedo's designer, Tabula Smaragdina, was one of those people.

"Ah, is this what they call gap moe? Tabula-san… even so…"

Isn't a backstory like this far too much?

Momonga could not help but think that. All the NPCs made by everyone were an inheritance of the guild. Designing the highest-ranked NPC Albedo in this manner made him think that Tabula Smaragdina was beyond saving.

"Umu."

Would it be fine to change an NPC's backstory based on a personal decision? After thinking about it for some time, Momonga came to a conclusion.

"Should I change it?"

Currently, with the guild weapon in his possession, Momonga could be said to be the master of the guild. It should be all right to exercise the guildmaster's authority he had never used before.

Momonga's doubts vanished like mist, as he steeled himself to right the wrongs of his guildmate.

He extended the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown that he was holding. Normally, one would need developer tools to change a character's backstory, but through his power as guildmaster, he could directly access her settings and edit them. After some action on his console, the "slut" line vanished.

"Well, it should be like that."

Momonga thought a bit more, and looked at the gap in Albedo's flavor text.

I should probably fill that up...

"This feels a little silly."

Although he was laughing at himself, he still typed out a few words on the console keyboard. The words formed a sentence:

"She loves Momonga."

"Uwah, how embarrassing."

Momonga covered his face with his palm. It felt as though he were designing his ideal girlfriend complete with love events for himself, which embarrassed him so much that his heart began pounding. Although he wanted to rewrite it again out of shame, in the end he changed his mind and decided against it.

The game would end soon, after all, and his shame would vanish with it. Besides, the sentence he added matched the gap left by the deleted sentence exactly. It would be a shame if he deleted it and left an empty space again.

Momonga sat on the throne, scanning his surroundings with eyes filled with satisfaction and a little embarrassment. He noticed that Sebas and the maids were still standing by in a dormant state. It seemed a little lonely, and a little odd, to have them standing motionless like that.

I think there was a command for that.

Momonga recalled the words he had heard before, and extended a hand before lightly bringing it down.

"Kneel."

As one, Albedo, Sebas, and the six maids fell to one knee in obeisance.

Good.

Momonga raised his left hand to check the time.

[23:55:48]

He was just in time.

In all likelihood, the GMs were probably flooding the public channels and setting off fireworks. Momonga, who had put his heart and soul into this place and cut off all contact with the outside world, was unaware of that.

Momonga leaned against the back of the throne, and slowly raised his head to look at the ceiling.

He believed that even on the last day of the game, some invaders might come to Nazarick.

He would wait for them. He would accept any challenges in his position as guildmaster.

He had sent emails to all the guild members, but only a few had come.

He would wait for them. He would welcome his comrades back in his position as guildmaster.

"A relic of the past, huh—"

Momonga sank into thought.

Although the guild now was just an empty shell, he had enjoyed his time with it.

He turned his eyes to look at the huge flags hanging from the ceiling. There were forty one of them in total, the same number as there were guild members. Each of them displayed the personal symbol of each guild member. Momonga extended a bony finger and pointed to one of them.

"Mine."

Then, he turned his attention to a nearby flag. That flag represented one of the strongest players in Ainz Ooal Gown — no, in all of YGGDRASIL. He was the one who had started the guild, and the one who had gathered the "Original Nine".

"Touch Me."

The symbol on the next flag he pointed to belonged to the oldest member of Ainz Ooal Gown, who was a lecturer in a university in real life.

"Shijuuten Suzaku."

His finger moved faster than before as he shifted to the flag which belonged to one of the three female members of Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Ankoro Mochimochi."

Momonga fluidly recited the names of the various symbols' owners: "Herohero, Peroroncino, Bukubukuchagama, Tabula Smaragdina, Warrior Takemikazuchi, Variable Talisman, Genjiro—"

It did not take long for him to name all forty of his former comrades.

Their names were still branded deeply in Momonga's brain.

He sprawled tiredly on the throne.

"Yeah, it really was fun…"

Even though the game did not have any subscription fees, Momonga had still spent a third of his monthly salary on it. It was not because his salary was high, but because he had no other hobbies, so he funnelled all his income into YGGDRASIL.

There was a cash gacha in the game where players could pay for a chance to win a prize. Momonga spent nearly his entire bonus on it, and barely managed to get a rare item out of the experience. When he heard that one of his guild members Yamaiko had won that item for the cost of a lunch, Momonga had been so envious that he wanted to roll around on the ground.

Because almost all of Ainz Ooal Gown's members were productive members of society, most of them were willing to spend money on this hobby, and among them Momonga was one of the bigger spenders. He was probably one of the top few on the server.

That was how dedicated he was. Adventuring was fun, but his greatest joy was found in playing with his friends.

To Momonga, whose parents had passed away and who had no friends in real life, the guild Ainz Ooal Gown was a shining memory of the good times he had had with his friends.

And now, this guild would disappear.

His heart was filled with regret and reluctance.

Momonga gripped the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown tightly. He was just an ordinary salaryman, and he lacked the financial power or connections to change that fact. He was just another player who could only watch the closing time as it approached.

The time on his watch read [23:57]. The server would shut down at [00:00].

There was little time left. The virtual world would end, and he would have to go back to reality the next day.

That was only natural. Nobody could live in a virtual world, which was why everyone had left, one by one.

Momonga sighed.

He had to wake up at four tomorrow. He had to sleep the moment the servers shut down in order not to affect the next day's work.

[23:59:35, 36, 37]

Momonga set his watch to count out the seconds.

[23:59:48, 49, 50]

Momonga closed his eyes.

[23:59:58, 59—]

The countdown finished. He waited for the curtains to fall on his fantasy world—

He waited for the automatic logout—

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Scene Change

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[0:00:00...1,2,3]

"...Hm?"

Momonga opened his eyes.

He had not returned to his familiar room. And Yet this wasn't the throne room either.

He was standing in a middle of a Grassland which Momonga is greatly confused of.

"What's going on?"

The time was right. He should have been forcibly logged out by the server shutdown.

[0:00:38]

It was definitely past midnight. The clock could not have gone wrong because of a system error.

Confused, Momonga looked around him, searching for any clues in the vicinity.

"Could it be they delayed the server shutdown—?"

Or had they extended play time as a form of compensation?

Although numerous reasons appeared in his mind, they were all far from the truth. However, the most likely reason was that an irresistible force had cropped up, and extended the server shutdown time. If that was the case, the GMs would have made an announcement. Momonga hurriedly worked to reopen the message panel he had closed — and then he stopped halfway.

There was no command console.

"What… on earth happened?"

Momonga was filled with panic, frustration, and suspicion, but he was also surprised by how calm he was considering the circumstances. He decided to call on other means. Forced connections that did not require a console, the chat function, a GM call, a forced logout—

None of them responded. It was as though they had been deleted from the system.

"...What the hell is going on!?"

Momonga's angry voice echoes through the Grasslands, then vanished.

Today was the last day of YGGDRASIL, yet all these things were happening on a day that should have marked an end to the game. Was this some kind of prank they were pulling on the players?

Momonga was quite unhappy that he could not meet the end of the game in style, and the words he muttered clearly illustrated the anger inside him. There should not have been any reply to his hostile suspicion.

—However...

"Where are we, Mein creator?"

It was the first time he had heard a male voice.

Momonga was startled, but he still kept searching for the source of the voice. When he found the one who had spoken the words just now, he was speechless.

Its face was flat, with no nose or other facial features. Its mouth and eyes were replaced by three empty holes. There were no eyeballs, teeth, or a tongue; just three black holes which looked like they had been drawn on by a child with a black marker.

The pink, egg-like head was smooth and shiny, without a single hair to mar its surface.

 _"How the hell did he came here?!"_

The person who had answered him was his own NPC - Pandora's Actor

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 _And cut!_

 _So I hope you like this chapter._

 _gabrielchiong11_


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in the story. All of this belongs to their respective owners.** xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Carne Village.

It was located on the border of the Kingdom at the Empire, near the southern tip of the Azellerisia Mountain Range, just outside a patch of woodland named the Great Forest of Tob.

For a frontier village of the Re-Estize Kingdom, its population was unexceptional — a hundred and twenty souls, distributed among twenty five families.

The village made its living from the resources of the forest and agriculture. Apart from doctors and herbalists who came to collect herbs, the only visitors to the village were the yearly tax collectors. Time seemed to stand still for the few residents of this village.

Village life was very busy even in the early hours of the morning. Villages did not possess the magical illumination of 「Continual Light」 which could be found in cities, so the villagers would rise with the sun and work hard all day until the sun went down.

The first thing Enri Emmot did after getting up extra early in the morning was to carry water from the nearby well. Hauling water was a woman's job, and once she finished filling the big water tank in the house, that chore was complete. By this time, her mother would have prepared breakfast for their family of four.

Breakfast was barley or wheat porridge, as well as cooked vegetables. Sometimes, they would have dried fruit as well.

After breakfast, she would tend the fields with her parents. Her ten year old sister would go into the forest to gather firewood or help with the field work. When the bell in the middle of the village — the village square — rang to signal noon, everyone would break for lunch.

Lunch would be black bread baked several days before, as well as soup with some shredded meat jerky sprinkled in.

Field work would resume after lunch, and when the sun set they would return home for dinner.

For dinner, they would have the same black bread that they had for lunch, as well as bean soup. If the village's hunters managed to bag any prey, they might be able to get some meat to go with their dinner. After dinner, the family would gather around the light of the hearth-fire to take care of household chores, such as mending worn or damaged clothes.

They would go to sleep around eight.

The girl Enri Emmot was born sixteen years ago and had become a part of the village since then. She had lived these days all her life. In her heart, she wondered, _How_ _much_ _longer_ _will these unchanging days continue?_

Today was no different from any other. After waking up, Enri went to the well to carry water.

After filling her buckets at the well, she would need three trips to fill the house's water tank.

"Yosh~"

Enri rolled up her sleeves, exposing her untanned skin, which was pale and stood out. Long years of farm life ensured that although her arms looked slender and frail, they were actually very strong, with just a hint of muscle on them.

The filled buckets were very heavy, but Enri hoisted them up like she always did.

 _If the buckets were bigger, I could make fewer trips, wouldn't that make things easier? Then again, if the buckets were bigger, I probably wouldn't be able to lift them..._

As Enri thought about that issue on her way back home, she heard a sound and turned to look at it. There was tension in the air over there, and the seeds of fear began sprouting in her heart.

Her ears seemed to pick up something like wood being broken, and after that—

"A scream—?"

It sounded like a strangled bird, but there was no way it could be a bird's call.

A chill ran down Enri's spine. Unbelievable. There must be some kind of mistake. It couldn't be a human's voice. She tried to erase her unease with these thoughts, and then they vanished.

She had to run to the source of the scream, because it was coming from the direction of her home.

Enri cast aside the water buckets. She could not run while carrying that heavy burden.

Although she nearly tripped over her long skirt, she managed to keep her balance by some stroke of luck.

The sound rang through the air once more.

Enri's heart lurched in her chest.

There was no mistake about it — it was a human scream.

She ran, and ran, and ran.

Enri could not recall going faster than this in her life. She was running so fast that her legs were about to tangle each other up.

The neighs of horses. The screams of people, and shouts.

These sounds were becoming clearer and clearer.

In the distance, Enri could see an unfamiliar man in armor swinging his sword at a villager.

The villager collapsed to the ground with a howl of pain, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and a swift thrust from the sword dealt him a fatal blow.

"Morga-san…"

There were no strangers in a small village like this. Everyone was as close as kin. As such, Enri knew exactly who had been killed before her eyes.

Mr. Morga was a loud but pleasant man. He had done nothing wrong, and did not deserve to die like this. Enri wanted to stop — but in the end she gritted her teeth and ran on.

The distance that felt fairly close while carrying water now felt like an endless stretch. As the sounds of shouts and cursing filtered into her ears, she finally saw her home before her.

"Dad! Mom! Nemu!"

Enri opened the door as she shouted for her family.

She found three familiar faces with unfamiliar looks of fear. They were motionless. However, when Enri opened the door and entered, their faces softened, the fear replaced by relief.

"Enri! Are you all right?"

Her father hugged her in his strong arms, which were brawny and tough from field work.

"Ahhh, Enri…"

Her mother's gentle arms embraced her.

"Good, Enri's back, then we'd better flee too!"

The Emmot family was in grave danger. They had stayed at home because they were worried about leaving Enri behind, and so they had missed the best chance to escape. The threat to their lives would be catching up with them any moment now.

As she thought about that fear, it became a reality.

Just as the family was about to run, a human figure appeared in the house's doorway. The man silhouetted by sunlight, glittered. He was a fully-armored knight whose breastplate bore the insignia of the Baharuth Empire. He held a longsword in his hand.

The Baharuth Empire was a neighbor of the Re-Estize Kingdom, and the two of them had waged frequent wars against each other. Until recently, the flames of war were mostly limited to the region around the Fortress City of E-Rantel, and had not spread to this village.

However, the quiet life they had enjoyed would end here.

Enri could feel the man's cold eyes on her from between the vision slits of his helmet, as though he were counting up how many people were in Enri's family. It frightened her.

The knight clenched the gauntlet holding his sword, and a creaking sound came from where metal rubbed against metal.

And then, just as he was about to enter the house—

"Uooooh!"

"Nuuuu!"

—Her father lunged at the man, tackling him out of the doorway and out of the house with his momentum.

"Hurry up and run!"

"Damn you!"

Blood streamed from a small cut on her father's face. He must have gotten hurt while bull-rushing the knight.

Enri's father was rolling around as he grappled with the knight on the ground. The knight grabbed the hand of Enri's father which was holding a knife, while he in turn kept the knight from drawing his shortsword.

The sight of blood on the body of one of her family members made Enri's mind go white. She wavered over whether to help her father or run away.

"Enri! Nemu!"

Her mother's shouts returned Enri to her senses, and as she looked at her mother, she saw the older woman shaking her head, with a heart-breaking expression on her face.

Enri grabbed her little sister's hand and ran after her mother with big strides. Guilt and hesitation clawed at her heart, but in the end, she knew they had to flee into the Great Forest of Tob.

The neighing of horses, angry shouts, the clash of steel, and the stench of burning flesh.

All these assaulted Enri's ears and nose from the direction of the village. Where had it come from? Enri ran with all her might as she tried to make sense of matters. When fleeing to an open space, she had to make her body as small as possible, or hide in the corners of houses.

The violent beating of her heart chipped away at the fear that threatened to freeze her body solid. In addition, the small hand she held in hers spurred her on.

—Her sister.

Her mother, who was running ahead of her, suddenly froze, and immediately doubled back, her hands frantically gesturing at them to run somewhere else.

As Enri realized why her mother would do that, she bit her lip, and forced back her tears.

She clenched her little sister's hand and ran, trying desperately to get away from there, because she did not want to see what would happen next.

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The being who stood beside Momonga was a Doppelganger.

His name was Pandora's Actor, and he was a level one hundred NPC personally designed by Momonga and placed in charge of the Treasury. His talents lay in disguise, and he could copy forty five separate forms and even their abilities — though only at eighty percent of the original's potency.

His hat bore the crest of Ainz Ooal Gown, while the uniform he wore was very similar to the uniforms used by Neo-Nazi elite guards during the Euro-Arcology Wars twenty years ago.

But as of now Pandora's Actor is not inside the Treasury, but rather with Momonga in this current predicament.

 _Why him_ _? Out of all things why him?_

"Is something wrong, Momonga-sama?

Pandora's Actor kept asking him questions. Momonga did not know how to respond. As it was, there were far too many things he did not understand, so his thought processes short-circuited.

"Forgive me."

Momonga could only stare dumbly at Pandora's Actor, who was standing by his side.

"Is everything alright, My creator?"

Pandora's Actor's unchanged face drew close to Momonga's as he studied him. A faint odor entered his nostrils. The scent seemed to restore Momonga's ability to think, and his mind, which had been hitherto out of comission, slowly returned to normal.

"No… nothing is wrong… no, nothing."

Momonga was not the sort of person who made a habit of speaking politely to dolls. However… hearing Pandora's questions instinctively made him want to respond with deference. His movements, his speech patterns, his whole being radiated an undeniable humanity, except for his face though.

Momonga still had the feeling that something was terribly wrong about Pandora's Actor and himself, but he had no way of understanding exactly what the problem was. All he could do in this ignorant state was to suppress his fear, shock, and other unnecessary emotions. However, Momonga was a common person, and could not do that.

Just as Momonga was about to cry out, the words of one of his guild members came to mind:

— _Panic is the seed of defeat, so you must maintain your calm and think logically. Remain calm, look beyond your surroundings, and don't waste your effort on unnecessary details, Momonga-san._

As he recalled these words, Momonga slowly regained his composure.

Momonga silently thanked Punitto Moe, the Zhuge Liang of Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Is something the matter?"

He was close to him now. Momonga, who had calmed himself after much effort, was in danger of being driven into panic again from his nearby face.

"...The [GM Call] function does not seem to be working."

Distracted by Pandora's Actor himself, Momonga could not help but question the NPC.

Although he knew that he was just an NPC, he could not help but be moved by his realistic movements.

However, as his passions stirred within his heart, they were quenched like they had been earlier, and he returned to normal.

Momonga felt uneasy at the lack of strong emotions within himself, and he wondered if it was related to the words of his comrade from just now.

But was that really the case?

Momonga shook his head. Now was not the time to ponder these things.

"...Please forgive my inability to answer the Supreme One's questions about this "[GM Call]." I apologize for not meeting your expectations. Nothing would please me more than a chance to make up for my prior mistake. Please, command me as you see fit, Mein Creator."

He replied with an exaggerated expression, while saluting as he spoke.

...The two of them were conversing. There was no doubt about that.

Learning this fact shocked Momonga so greatly that he could not speak.

Impossible. This should have been impossible.

The closest thing NPCs could come to conversations was with macroed responses to being addressed in a certain way. There was audio data for roars and cheering for players to download, but actually allowing an NPC to engage in conversation was an impossible task.

Why had such an impossible event occurred? Was this phenomenon limited to Pandora's Actor?

Momonga dismissed Pandora's Actor with a wave of his hand, and with grossly overdramatic actions, he retreated. He then decided to test him.

"Pandora's Actor!"

"Yes!"

His voice raised, and then he raised his right hand to his cap in a grossly overacted salute.

This act made Momonga furrow his nonexistent eyebrows.

His clothes were one thing, but why did he have to overact to everything? No, Momonga knew the answer to that.

Momonga was the creator of Pandora's Actor; in other words, his every move and gesture existed because Momonga thought they were stylish. Thus, he had happily worked them into the character design.

"...Ugh, this is really…"

In the past, he had thought of military uniforms as being very cool, and he believed that actors ought to be dramatic, but watching someone as intelligent like him make such showy motions was—

"Uwah~ how lame~"

Those quiet words slipped free of Momonga's heart, so softly that nobody heard.

This was his black history.

His living, breathing black history (Pandora's Actor).

"Umu, Move to that spot and after that transform into Ulbert."

Momonga pointed his bony fingers at where he was pointing.

"Understood."

He responded, and he over dramatically strode to the spot where Momonga was pointing at, and in an heartbeat he transformed into Ulbert Alain Odle, one of Momonga's Forty no Forty-one comrades in Ainz Ooal Gown.

Momonga had learned two things from this.

The first was that he did not need to specially enter commands on a keyboard; the NPC (Pandora's Actor) would understand his intentions and execute his orders.

Second was his ability to shape shift still remained undeniably in perfect condition.

As Momonga thought about this, he suddenly felt that there was something very wrong about himself and Pandora's Actor. In order to discover exactly what that something was, he fixed Pandora's Actor (Who was still in Ulbert's form) with a piercing gaze.

"—I-Is something wrong? Have I made a mistake…?"

As he finally realized what the problem was, he did not shout, nor did he keep silent, but he simply sighed imperceptibly.

That unexpected breadth of facial expressions. The reason why his mouth could move why he could speak—

"...pos...sible!"

Momonga hurriedly placed a hand on his mandible, and spoke.

—His mouth was moving.

This should have been impossible, going by what he knew about DMMO-RPGs. A character's mouth would not move with their words.

The basic premise was that external appearances were fixed. Because of that, facial expressions were impossible to design.

In addition, Momonga's face was a skull, without a tongue or a throat. He looked down to his hands, and they were the same fleshless pair that he was used to. He could also see that he had no lungs or, indeed, any other internal organs. But then, how was he speaking?

"Impossible…"

Momonga could feel the certainty he had in the world evaporating away, replaced by an ever-growing uneasiness. He suppressed his desire to shout out and, like he expected, his surging emotions were suddenly quashed.

Momonga slapped forcefully at the ground, but as he expected, no damage values appeared.

"...What should I do… Is there anything I can do?"

He knew nothing about what was going on. Nobody would help him even if he got angry.

Then, his first priority should be — looking for clues.

"—Pandora's Actor."

He could see an earnest, sincere expression on Pandora's Actor's (Ulbert's form) face. He looked like a real person or was it his own imagination.

It should be fine to give him orders, right? Although he had no idea what would happen, he could assume all the NPCs in the Tomb were loyal to him, right? For all he knew, the person in front of him might not be the NPC that he had made personally.

Speaking of which, where's the Great Tomb of Nazarick? Since Pandora's Actor was here, should the Tomb be here as well?

Numerous questions rose up in his mind, floating on a sea of uneasiness, but Momonga forced aside all these emotions. In the end, the only choice he had for reconnaissance was Pandora's Actor. He glanced briefly at Pandora's Actor but then Momonga steeled himself and decided to order Pandora's Actor out.

The mental image of a department chief giving orders to his subordinates appeared in his mind. Momonga took on a superior, commanding attitude, and spoke:

"Pandora's Actor! Investigate the surrounding region. If you encounter intelligent creatures, interact peacefully with them and invite them to join us. Attempt to accommodate the other party as much as possible during negotiations. Do not stray more than one kilometer from this location and avoid unnecessary combat."

"Understood, Momonga-sama. But may I ask a question?"

"Umu, What is it?"

"Should I stay at this form or revert back to my original form?"

Pandora's Actor asked him, as if he was asking about the weather.

In YGGDRASIL, NPCs made to protect a guild base could not leave it under any circumstances. However, it would seem this ironclad restriction had been overturned.

No, he could only be certain of that once Pandora's Actor returned.

"...Revert back to your original form. If battle begins, retreat immediately and tell me everything you have learned."

"Yes Momonga-sama."

Pandora's Actor replied as he reverted back to his original form.

That was simply the first step.

Momonga let go of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.

The staff did not fall onto the ground, but floated in the air as though someone were still holding it. This was in complete defiance of physics, but it was a common sight in the game. There were quite a few items in YGGDRASIL which would continue floating in the air when left unattended.

The aura of tormented spirits seemed to cling to Momonga's hand as he let the staff go, but Momonga paid it no heed. He was long since used to that sight… or not. Thinking that the macro command would have already been built in, Momonga snapped his fingers and deactivated the aura.

Momonga folded his arms.

The next step would be—

"...I should contact the game company."

The game company would know the most about Momonga's present situation.

The problem was actually contacting them. Normally, simply using the /shout command or a GM call would put him in touch with a GM instantly, but if these methods did not work either...

"「Message」?"

This was a spell used to communicate in the game.

Normally, its use was restricted to certain places and conditions, but perhaps he might be able to make good use of the spell in this current situation. The problem was that this spell was originally designed to communicate with other players, so it might not be able to reach a GM.

And in this extraordinary situation, there was no guarantee that the spell would work either.

"...However…"

He had to give it a try.

Momonga was a level one hundred spellcaster. If he could not cast spells, his mobility, his ability to gather information, and of course his fighting power would plummet drastically. In these unknown circumstances, he had to verify that he could use magic, and quickly.

Now where can I go to test my magic... As Momonga thought about that question, he looked slowly around the Grasslands and then shook his head.

Although this was an emergency situation, he had no desire to conduct magical experiments in the silent. He contemplated suitable locations for magical testing, and then a promising place came to mind.

There was one more thing he wanted to confirm, in addition to his own abilities.

He wanted to be certain of his authority. He had to know whether his powers and privileges as the guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown still existed.

Until now, Pandora's Actor (which he had actually met for awhile) was loyal to him. However, in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, there were several NPCs with levels equal to his own. He had to make sure they were still loyal.

However—

Momonga glanced at the Grasslands looking for additional info.

It seems that the Great Tomb of Nazarick wasn't here and wondered something else. As he wondered what that "something else" might be, unease crept through Momonga.

Pandora's Actor was loyal to him, but would he stay that way? If this were in the real world, subordinates would no longer be loyal to superiors who constantly screwed up. Would Pandora's Actor be that way as well? Or was it that once he was programmed to be loyal, would he stay that way forever?

If his loyalty to him wavered, how should he regain it?

If the Great Tomb of Nazarick was here, what would he give him?

Rewards? There was vast wealth in the Treasury. Although it pained him to expend the treasures left behind by his former comrades, they would probably understand if it was for the sake of Ainz Ooal Gown. The question would then be how large of a reward he should give. But scratched that idea out, since Pandora's Actor was the one who guards the Treasury Room

In addition, was he superior to others by virtue of being higher-ranked? But what criteria could he use to quantify his superiority? He was not clear about that yet. He had the feeling that as long as he kept this dungeon going, he would eventually come to understand these things.

Or did that mean—

"—Power?"

He opened his left hand and gripped the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown that sailed into his grasp.

"Overwhelming power?"

The seven gems set into the staff gleamed brightly, as though imploring their master to use their colossal might.

"...Forget it, I'll take my time to think about that later."

Momonga released the staff he held, and the wavering staff fell to the ground as though it were angry at him.

In any case, as long as he acted the part of the leader, they would probably not raise their hands against him right away. Be it among animals or humans, enemies would probably not attack if their intended prey did not reveal any weaknesses.

"Pandora's Actor, begin immediately!"

"Yes, mein Creator."

Pandora's Actor clicked his heels together with great force, tossing out his arm which was straightened all the way to the tips of his fingers and saluted with great pomp and circumstance… or to put it less kindly, he was hamming it up.

Momonga looked at his egghead, and gently shook his head.

He was not a bad sort, and he was quite capable, but regretfully—

 _Why did I design him with such a personality? I used to think this sort of thing was so cool. No, actually, I still think his uniform is kind of cool..._

If Momonga could have blushed, his face would be bright red.

"Oi, Pandora's Actor."

Momonga grabbed Pandora's Actor by the shoulders and pulled him aside, as if to say, _come with me._

"I have an important question for you. I am your creator, and the one you are loyal to, right?"

"Indubitably so, Momonga-sama! For as I was made by you, if you desire me to do battle with the other Supreme Beings, I shall charge into the fray without hesitation!"

"I see… then, I have a request for you as a human being… no, a man… no, as your creator… Could you please not salute any more?"

Pandora's Actor locked his vacant eyes with Momonga's own, his confusion at Momonga's words evident within them.

"Er, that… how shall I put it, your saluting is pretty weird, so please don't salute any more… As for your uniform, it makes you look very strong, so we'll leave that be… but please, really, don't salute any more."

"Wenn es meines Gottes Wille!"

"Is that German? Don't speak like that either. No, you may use it if you please, but just not in front of me. I'm begging you."

"Y-Yes…"

This was the first time Pandora's Actor had such a look of shock on his face, and his answer seemed a little strange. After realizing their faces were close enough for a kiss, Momonga backed off and asked weakly:

"Please, I'm begging you. If anyone finds out about this I'll be a laughing stock... I can hardly believed it myself. Although I'd like to discuss the matter in greater detail, the situation is quite urgent, so we'll leave it at this for now."

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After a good time passed away after Pandora's Actor left Momonga alone.

After much pondering he decided to do what he knows was appropriate for this situation.

 _I should test my items if they still work. If not then I'm screwed._

He focused on the staff. Among the many powers it possessed, Momonga concentrated on one of the gems which decorated the staff.

It was a divine class item called the Gem of the Moon, and the ability Momonga chose—

—called forth Moonlight Wolves.

As the summoning magic took effect, three beasts appeared out of thin air.

"It worked... "

Momonga muttered to himself, relieved at the successful summon.

The special effects of the summoning were the same as in YGGDRASIL, so Momonga was not surprised by them.

Moonlight Wolves looked very similar to Siberian Wolves, but they radiated a silver glow. Momonga could feel a mysterious connection between himself and the Moonlight Wolves. It clearly showed who was the master and the servant between them.

Moonlight Wolves were highly agile and they were useful for ambushes, but they were only level twenty or so. They were very weak monsters compared to Momonga. However, monsters of this level were enough for their purposes this time round.

In fact, the weaker they were, the better.

"Now then, bite me."

Momonga ordered one of the Moonlight Wolves, who in turn tilted its head with a confused expression on its face.

In YGGDRASIL casters who had summoned creatures to do their bidding cannot attack its summoner whether on purpose or not. It was highly approved by some players who were scared of their summoned creatures turning against them in a bad time during a battle.

There was one time that Ulbert (The chuunibyou of the guild) tried to test the game mechanics to see if the AI actually does what it was programmed to do and summoned a low level creature out of curiosity.

To make long story short, it actually did what the AI programmed it to do and after several epic fails he eventually gave up out of frustration.

"Come on, bite me."

Nonetheless Momonga's insistence was so great that even the Moonlight Wolves he had summoned broke that rule and went ahead with it.

Given that they were no longer in the game, there was a possibility he could not ignore, which was that he's skill might not work in this world. In order to rule that out, he had to test himself in order for him to use a skill with a second party, which was why he had summoned the Moonlight Wolves.

After that, the Moonlight Wolf jumped and bit Momonga's right arm, but Momonga did not feel affected in any way. He tried relaxing or turning around while the Moonlight Wolf was hanging on his right arm, but he felt nothing strange. However, the Moonlight Wolf was still hanging on his arm and felt a bit dizzy. Thus, he concluded that his skill had taken effect.

From this experiment, Momonga learned that effects did not work on him. This meant—

In the game, demihuman and heteromorphic races unlocked racial skills when they reached certain levels. An Overlord like Momonga had the following skills:

Create High Tier Undead four times per day, Create Mid Tier Undead twelve times per day, Create Low Tier Undead twenty times per day, Negative Energy Touch, Despair Aura V (instant death), Negative Protection, Dark Soul, Black Halo, Undead Blessing, Unholy Protection, Wisdom of Darkness, Speak Evil Tongues, Ability Damage IV, Piercing Damage Resistance V, Slashing Damage Resistance V, Turn Resistance III, High Tier Physical Immunity III, High Tier Magic Immunity III, Cold, Acid, and Electrical Immunity, as well as Arcane Vision/See Invisibility.

And then there were the abilities from his class levels — Instant Death Magic Enhancement, Rite of Darkness, Undead Aura, Undead Creation, Undead Control, Undead Strengthening, and so on.

Then there were the basic special qualities which all undead possessed:

Immunity to critical hits, mind-affecting, poison, disease, sleep, paralysis, death, and energy drain effects. Resistance to necromancy and biological penalties. Undead did not need to breathe, eat, or drink. They were healed by negative energy and had darkvision.

Of course, they had weaknesses too, like Good, Light, and Holy Vulnerability IV, Bludgeoning Vulnerability V, Vulnerability to Holy and Good Consecrated Areas II, double damage from fire, and so on.

—This meant that Momonga could be sure that he still possessed the basic abilities of an undead being and his special skills gained through levelling up.

Seeing the Moonlight Wolf still hanging on his right arm Momonga spoke:

"You can let go of me now."

The Moonlight Wolf obeyed and released Momonga's arm from his jaw as it returned to its fellow brethren. Still feeling a bit daze due to Momonga's actions.

"Return."

The three Moonlight Wolves vanished as though time itself had turned backward for them.

"It seems that rule has been removed."

If one of YGGDRASIL's rules has been removed then it would be a great hindrance to him if the game rules don't apply to this world.

Now that I've thought about it. Is it possible that the game itself turned itself into reality?

He quickly quenched that thought, as he tried to think another way to use his other magical abilities.

"Now that my items and my skills works, how should I do about my magic spells?"

If he had someone here to provide a practice dummy, then he would use it without any hesitation. But that someone isn't here and he has to think another way to test out his spells.

Then there were movements in the forest, and then monsters slowly revealed themselves.

There were fifteen creatures that were the size of children, surrounding six huge creatures.

The first group were the demihumans called Goblins.

Their twisted faces had flattened noses, while two fangs thrust forth from their ravening maws. Their skin was a bright brown, while their filthy, matted black hair looked like it had been styled by wax.

They wore tattered clothes, which were a burnt sienna, though it was unknown whether it was dyed that color or stained that way by dirt. On top of that, they had fashioned tanned animal hides into a crude form of armor. Each held a wooden club in one hand and a small shield in the other.

They were evil-looking monsters, born of the mating of human and apes.

The less numerous creatures were huge, roughly two hundred fifty to three hundred centimeters in height.

Their lower jaws jutted out, and they looked retarded.

Their heavily muscled arms looked like tree trunks. Their hands nearly dragged on the ground due to their hunchbacked stance. They used logs as clubs, and wore animal skins around their waists. They reeked so much that Momonga could smell them over the long distance separating them.

Their tanned brown skin was covered in warts, while their muscular chests and bellies looked quite striking. At a glance, they looked to be very strong, and they resembled shaven, distorted chimpanzees.

They were demihumans known as Ogres.

Almost all of them seemed to carry tattered bags, as though for a long journey.

The monsters watched the undead (Momonga) warily as they advanced onto the grassy plains. They might have been some distance away, but there was an unmistakable hostility on their ugly faces.

"...There's quite a number of them. Looks like I can't avoid a fight then."

Momonga could understand and accept this, but the fact that it was completely different from how it was in the game left him somewhat confused.

Be it in height or skin color, the Ogres and Goblins before him all differed from each other. In other words, they were not identical individuals. It felt like he was faced with twenty one unknown monsters.

"Reality's different from the game, huh."

He felt like he was fighting unknown monsters in an unexplored region, without the benefit of a walkthrough site.

"Besides that I'll make you guys my personal target dummies instead."

He chuckled darkly like a villain who saw a perfect place to start his world domination conquest.

Momonga pointed his finger, preparing to cast a spell on the demihumans in the corner of his view.

Momonga did not know many pure damage spells. Instead, he focused on instant death spells with additional effects. As a result, he was less effective against non-living entities. He should have selected a simple damaging spell against a target like the one before him, but Momonga's levels were largely in necromancy-type classes, which strengthened his necromantic spells. However, the effectiveness of these spells was several notches below a character whose class levels enhanced combat spells.

Momonga could not help but congratulate himself. Had he ever been so cool and calculating in the past? However, there was nobody here who could answer Momonga's question.

He cast aside the doubts in his mind, and focused on using the magic of YGGDRASIL.

There were over six thousand spells in the game, from Tier One to Tier Ten, as well as Super Tier magic. These spells were divided among various types and schools, and Momonga could use seven hundred eighteen of them. A normal level one hundred player would only be able to use three hundred of them, so Momonga was an exceptional case.

Momonga had memorized almost all of these spells, and he considered which one to use now.

To begin with, because the restriction on friendly fire had been lifted, he needed to know how the effective radius of a spell would show itself.

Therefore, he decided against a single target spell, but picked an area effect spell. Next, considering his target was a demihuman, he should—

In YGGDRASIL, he could cast a spell by tapping its respective icon. However, there were no icons for him to touch. Therefore, there had to be some other way.

He was not sure, but he had a faint idea of how to use his magic.

It was a power hidden within him. Momonga focused within himself. An icon appeared, as though floating in mid-air—

And Momonga smiled in delight.

He was fully aware of information like the spell's effective radius, its recast delay, and so on. Knowing this information, being sure of his power filled him with a surging excitement and warm satisfaction. Unlike in YGGDRASIL, he felt that the magic was part of him. This was a satisfaction he could never have experienced in YGGDRASIL.

He channelled the jubilation in his heart — although his mood calmed quickly, he could still feel joy and excitement — into his fingertip, and spoke the words:

"「Maximize Widen Magic: Fireball」."

An expanding globe of flame shot out from the finger pointing at the incoming demihuman.

The fireball struck the demihuman unerringly, as he had predicted. It burst, releasing a wave of scorching flame that blew the demihuman away. The inner part of the fireball exploded, turning the demihuman and the surrounding area around him into a sea of fire.

All this happened in an instant. Then, besides the blackened demihuman, there was nothing left and the majority of the demihumans were wiped out just like that.

"Fufufufu…"

He made a sinister snicker as he prepared another spell.

Momonga paced around the demihumans, before casting a spell on them:

"「Maximize Magic: Napalm」."

A column of flame appeared amongst the demihuman, engulfing them in fire. Momonga paused a beat, then cast another spell on the remnants of the the once Goblin-Ogre army:

"「Fireball」."

The fireball struck the remains of the of the demihumans, scattering its ashes in a puff of smoke.

The recast time between spells was the same as in YGGDRASIL. The actual process of casting was faster than in YGGDRASIL. Previously, in order to cast an area effect spell, he would need to choose the spell, then move the area effect cursor over the desired area. The process now was quicker than that.

"Perfect," Momonga said, his voice filled with the same satisfaction he felt in his heart.

After that Momonga began his next experiment.

"「Message」."

The first party he tried to contact was a GM. In YGGDRASIL, when one used the 「Message」 spell, as long as the other party was within the game, one would hear a call tone. Otherwise, there would be no sound, and the spell would immediately terminate.

What happened now was somewhere between both of those. It felt like something was constantly reaching out, as though looking for something to connect to. This was the first time Momonga had experienced something like this and it was difficult to describe.

This feeling continued for a while, and in the end, after failing to connect, the 「Message」 spell ended.

A profound sense of disappointment flooded through him.

Momonga tried casting the same spell again. This time, he did not choose a GM.

This time, he picked one of his comrades from the past — a member of Ainz Ooal Gown.

He cast the spell, though his heart was filled with one part of hope and ninety nine parts of resignation. As expected, there was no response. He tried to contact the forty, no, forty one members of the Guild with a 「Message」, but after receiving no reply, Momonga gently shook his head.

In truth, he had expected this outcome and had resigned himself to it, but actually being confronted by that fact filled him with an incomparable feeling of despair.

In the end, Momonga decided to contact Pandora's Actor.

—It got through.

This proved that the 「Message」 spell was working, and that most likely, it could only contact people within this new world.

"Momonga-sama."

A voice of over dramatic respect echoed through his mind. Momonga considered that Pandora's Actor might have been posing to him on the other side of the 「Message」, like in real-life companies or downright from the circus.

Just then, Pandora's Actor spoke again, as Momonga fell silent from thinking about these ridiculous things.

"...May I ask if something is wrong?"

"Ah, ahhh, forgive me. I spaced out there. That's right, how are the surroundings like?"

"Yes. We are surrounded by plains, with no intelligent creatures in sight."

"I see… is that so..."

"Yes. There are only plains around us."

Momonga could not help but smile.

All this was too much...

"…Pandora's Actor. Is there anything floating in the sky, or did anything like a message appear?"

"No, there is nothing like that."

"Is there anything suspicious around you?"

"No… I have not seen anything unusual. there are no other man-made structures in sight."

"Is that so… is that so…"

What should he say? All Momonga could do was grab his head and try to think. But in his heart, he knew that this was most likely the case.

Pandora's Actor's silence was a subtle hint that he was awaiting orders. Momonga glanced at the strap on his left wrist. It was 1 o'clock in this New World's time somehow in the same time as Japan.

"Return in twenty minutes. When you arrive I'd like to discuss something with you after you return."

"Understood."

"Then, gather as much information as you can before you return."

After hearing Pandora's Actor's acknowledgement, Momonga terminated the 「Message」 spell.

"Now I should check how many spells I have in my disposal."

He then focused within himself like he was casting a spell but this time he was searching through his vast amount of spells in his disposal.

But there was one slight problem.

"How the hell I even possessed three thousand five hundred fifty six spells?!"

It was impossible the amount of spells he has are over five times the amount than he originally has before he came to this world.

"Not only that those spells are mostly from Arcane, Faith, Holy, and Druidic Magic. Those are from entirely different classes. How did I even possessed those even though my job class is entirely different as well?"

Unless he has to check on something which he hasn't been using after he had reached level one hundred and that was over a few years ago.

"「Status Check」"

After he spoke those words a familar board appeared within his view and Momonga sighed in relief at the successful attempt.

"Now then, for the next step."

Momonga then saw a series of characters which he was totally familiar with and saw something unexpected.

"Is this some sort of joke?"

He tried shaking it off his head and checked once more if he's hallucinating at what he saw.

To his surprise it was indeed real and his reaction was quite normal too.

"EHHHHH???!!!!!"

He screamed high into the New World's night sky. So loud that even Pandora's Actor could even hear it from a distance, which was about nine hundred meters away from Momonga's position.

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The company of fifty men galloped across the grassy plains on their horses.

Every man in the company was athletically built. One of them was particularly eye-catching.

There was no better word to describe him than "fit." His muscles were prominent even though he was wearing a breastplate.

He was around thirty years old, and his face was tanned from long days of sun and covered in wrinkles. His black hair was neat and trimmed, and his dark eyes had a sharp look about them.

The man riding by his side said:

"Warrior-Captain, we're almost at the first village on our patrol route."

"Ah, yes, Vice-Captain."

Gazef Stronoff, the renowned Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, did not see any villages.

He calmed his racing heart and maintained his mount's speed. Although he had kept the horse's pace at one which should not be overly fatiguing, they had hustled all the way here from the Royal Capital, and fatigue was beginning to accumulate within Gazef's body. It must have been at least as bad for his horse, which was why he tried not to overburden it.

"I hope they're all right," the Vice-Captain said. There was a current of unease running beneath those words, and Gazef felt the same way.

The King had ordered Gazef and his men, "Imperial knights have been spotted at the border. If these reports are true, eliminate them immediately."

The city of E-Rantel was closer, and under normal circumstances, it would be faster to send troops from there. However, the Imperial knights were powerful and well-equipped, and there was an insurmountable gap between them and average conscripts. The only people in the Kingdom which could match up to the Imperial knights were Gazef and his troops. However, handing the entire task to Gazef and his men alone was the height of foolishness.

Before Gazef reached their objective, other troops could have been mobilized, in order to protect the villages. Though they could not win, they could at least hold them off. There were many other methods they could have employed. However, they had not used any of them — no, they could not.

Gazef, who knew the reason why, was filled with agitation. He tightly gripped the reins and tried not to tug on them. Even so, it was difficult to suppress the thoughts burning in his heart.

"Warrior-Captain, just having us do the searching is pointless. Couldn't we bring everyone from the warrior band and have them help us? We could also hire adventurers from E-Rantel to help us out. Why are you doing this?"

"...Enough, Vice-Captain. Things might go poorly if someone heard that Imperial knights were running loose in the Kingdom's territory."

"Warrior-Captain, there's nobody here. You don't have to stand on ceremony, but I hope you can tell me the truth," the Vice-Captain said with a smile. Then, he continued, "Was it those nobles?"

Gazef did not reply to those disdainful words, because that was exactly the case.

"Those damned nobles, treating human lives like pieces in their power struggles! And on top of that, since this is the King's domain, they can use any problems here to take shots at the King."

"...Not all nobles think that way."

"And maybe you're right, Warrior-Captain, and there are some nobles who think of the people. For example, the Golden Princess. But apart from her, there's practically no one else… if only the Kingdom was ruled by a dictator, couldn't we ignore those damn nobles and work for the good of the people?"

"If you interfere too strongly, it might lead to a civil war that would tear the Kingdom apart. Given that we're facing the threat of the Empire's expanding ambitions, a war like that would be a disaster for the common folk."

"I know that, but…"

"Just leave this matter aside for…"

Gazef's voice cut off halfway, as his eyes looked intently forward.

Thick, black smoke rose up from behind the small hill ahead of them, and it was not just one or two plumes.

Everyone present knew what that meant.

Gazef could not help but click his tongue, and he squeezed his legs around his horse's flanks.

The scene which the rapidly galloping Gazef and company saw did not deviate from their expectations. Before them spread an expanse of blackened ground, the scorched remains of a village. The corpses of several of the burned houses remained standing, like tombstones.

Gazef gave an order in with a voice of steel, "Everyone, we're moving. Quickly now!"

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The village had been put to the torch, and only the burned skeletons of the destroyed homes gave any clue as to what it had been like before.

The smell of blood blended with the stench of burning as one walked between them.

Gazef's face was calm, with no hint of any emotions on it. However, no expression could convey his feelings more clearly than this. The same applied to Vice-Captain who walked by Gazef's side.

Over a hundred villagers had lived here. Six had survived. Everyone else had been mercilessly slain, whether they were women, children, or infants.

"Vice-Captain, have some of our people return the survivors to E-Rantel."

"But wait, this is…"

"You're right, it's a big risk. Even so, we can't just abandon them like this."

E-Rantel was directly administered by the King, and protecting its surrounding villages was the King's duty. Abandoning the survivors here would cause a lot of problems for him. One could imagine how the Noble Faction, which opposed the King, would seize on that opportunity to make trouble for him. More importantly—

"Please reconsider. A lot of the survivors witnessed Imperial knights. We can consider that as having fulfilled the first part of the King's orders. I feel we should fall back for now and make sufficient preparations in E-Rantel before carrying out the next part."

"No."

"Warrior-Captain! You should know by now that this is a trap. The timing of the attack came too close to our arrival at E-Rantel to be anything but a coincidence. Their ruthless actions were only committed after we arrived, and the reason why they did not kill everyone was in order to use them as bait for a trap."

The survivors had not evaded the knights. Rather, the enemy had not finished them off. It might be a plot to divide Gazef's strength by having him split off his men to protect the survivors.

"Warrior-Captain, do you intend to keep at it, knowing well that there's a trap?"

"...Indeed."

"Warrior Captain, are you serious about that!? Indeed, you are strong, and you could easily defeat a hundred knights. However, the Empire has that old man. Even you would be in great danger against him. There's also a chance that you might lose against the Empire's renowned Four Knights, under-equipped as you are. Therefore, I beg you to fall back. To the King, losing a few villages is nothing compared to losing you!"

Gazef could only listen quietly as his Vice-Captain got more and more nervous.

"If we won't fall back… then we should leave the survivors behind and launch a pursuit with all of us."

"That would be the wisest option... But at the same time, it would mean that we would be leaving them to their deaths. Do you think they can survive by themselves?"

The Vice-Captain could not reply, because he knew the survivors' chances by themselves were practically nonexistent.

Without someone to protect and escort them to a safe area, they would be dead in days.

Even so, the Vice-Captain spoke — no, he had to speak.

"...Warrior-Captain. Yours is the most valuable life here.The villagers' lives are nothing in comparison."

Gazef was well aware of the painful decision the Vice-Captain had made, and he was angry at himself for having forced him to say such a thing.

Even so, he could not comply with the Vice-Captain's request.

"I was born a commoner, and so were you."

"Indeed, and I enlisted in admiration of you, Warrior-Captain."

"I recall you were born in a village as well?"

"Yes, which is why…"

"Life in a village is difficult, and death is a constant companion. It's not uncommon for a village to be attacked by a monster and many lives lost as a result, am I wrong?"

"...No, you are not."

"When a monster shows up, the rank and file soldiers are hard pressed to deal with it. If a village does not have the money to hire adventurers to deal with monsters, all they can do is hunker down and wait for the monster to leave."

"...That's right."

"Then, can you say you did not look forward to something like this? Can you say you did not hope for the nobles or someone strong to come and save you?"

"...It would be a lie to say that I didn't. But the fact is that nobody ever came forward to help. At least, the lord of the land where my village was did not pay for adventurers to help us."

"Since that is the case… why don't we prove that we're not like him? Come, let us save these people."

The Vice-Captain thought of his own experiences, and could not say anything in response.

"Vice-Captain, let's show the villagers what heroes who willingly plunge into danger to save others look like. Let's show them how the strong will save the weak."

Gazef's eyes met the Vice-Captain's, and countless emotions passed in between them.

His voice somewhat tired but grateful, the Vice-Captain replied:

"...Then allow me to lead the men. There are many who can replace me, but none who can take the place of you, Warrior-Captain."

"Don't be foolish. My chances of survival are higher. Remember, we're not going to die, but to save the people of the Kingdom."

The Vice-Captain opened his mouth several times, as though to speak, but in the end, he chose to remain silent.

"Then, pick the soldiers who will follow you in escorting the villagers to E-Rantel."

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The crimson light of the setting sun shone on a group of men upon the plains.

There were forty five of them.

They must have had excellent camouflage techniques given the way they had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Magic was most likely involved.

It was obvious at a glance that they were not simple mercenaries, travellers, or adventurers.

They were all dressed the same way, in armor made of special metals, which emphasised defensive power and mobility. After enchantment, they were more protective than full plate armor.

The bags on their backs were small, hardly the kind one would expect a traveller to carry. Those bags were enchanted as well. Their belts were special, designed to carry potions, and the capes on their backs also radiated an aura of magic.

Gathering this many sets of magic items would be a daunting task, be it in terms of time, money, or effort required. The fact that these people were outfitted in this sort of equipment was a clear sign that they had the backing of a nation, or the equivalent.

However, there were no markings or badges on them which might reveal their allegiance. In other words, they were hiding the fact that they were a black ops unit.

They looked at the ruins of the village with emotionless eyes. Although the stink of blood and fire hung heavy in the air, their merciless gazes seemed to say that this was only to be expected.

"...They fled."

The words were spoken with a hint of disappointment.

"...Well, that's only to be expected. We will continue attacking villages to draw him out. The beast must be lured into the trap."

The man who spoke cast a razor-sharp look in the direction where Gazef's company was riding.

"Show me the village which we will next be using as bait."

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 _And cut!_ _Hope ya like this chapter and I'm sorry for the late update. Be sure to_ _put on a review on the review section and PM me for ideas anx suggestions._ _gabrielchiong11 out._


	4. Intermission

**Edited Document: 16:14 2018/10/02 Philippines time (the actual time that I edited the chapter, not the time I published it).**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

For the first time ever since he was created, he finally felt he was of good use to his creator.

Ever since the day Pandora's Actor was born. He felt the world as the same way other felt it.

It was the feeling of being alive and well.

A genuine feeling to those who were given the chance to live a life. And the one who he should be thankful to, was his Creator and father, Momonga.

He saw the joyful expression that his creator had made when first came to the world. It was an awe-inspiring experience to see one's creator bubbling with joy upon seeing his creation came to be.

He was then given knowledge and power from creator. He was also given a position as an Area Guardian, and he who organized the magic items and defended those said items inside the Treasury Room.

However, after each passing day, Pandora's Actor felt that he was missing something. So much, that he can't even explain it, and why he can't?

And on that fateful day, for the first time in awhile, he saw his Creator came inside the very room where he was stationed at.

Of course, he wanted to greet his Creator with an welcoming greeting, but was stopped until he felt the expression his Creator had made.

It was an expression that someone lost something, or someone, dearly.

He went towards to another room behind Pandora's Actor. It was initially known as the Innermost Sanctum of the Treasury, but apparently his Creator changed it to be called as "The Mausoleum," for various reasons unknown to him.

After much time had passed after his creator went the Mausoleum. Pandora's Actor waited his creator until he felt his Creator's presence has returned to the room which he guards. Unnoticed by his creator, Pandora's Actor turned around and felt his Creator's expression.

He felt his Creator's expression by the second he came out of the room. It felt... Like someone was lost and abandoned, Pandora's Actor saw his Creator immediately teleported out the Treasury using the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Being the curious type of person Pandora's Actor was, he entered the Mausoleum and wondered around the room without his father's consent.

Upon entering the room, Pandora's Actor did not expect it to be like what he had thought off.

This dimly-lit place, was deathly silent, and it seemed like a suitable place for the spirits of the departed to rest. Pandora's Actor felt he needed to keep the silence, as if it was holy, a sacred ground made by the Supreme Ones.

He looked around, it was as it expected to be called the Mausoleum for those who had departed from the living realm. The Area Guardian wondered why would his Creator come to this place anyway?

He arrived at two neatly flanking rows of niches, almost each one of them was empty.

Pandora's Actor felt the room was indeed like a Mausoleum, and he saw forty empty spaces in each niches, it was almost as if it was made to place a statue.

He saw one space that wasn't empty, and when he got to the occupied space. He then saw a figure, an Avatara to be exact, dressed in battle gear its potency rivalled his father's primary battle equipment.

And that Avatara, was one of the Forty One Supreme Beings who dwelled inside this tomb; Touch Me, the Paladin of Pure Silver.

Pandora's Actor has several questions appearing inside his egghead.

Why is there a statue of a Supreme Being inside this Mausoleum? Does it mean he passed away? Or is it an item he might need to use as a final defensive Guardian?

Upon all of the questions forming inside his head, Pandora's Actor felt something unusual inside of him. It was akin to feeling of an emotion that his Creator had expressed when went out of the Mausoleum. He now knows what this statue made its purpose when his Creator made it.

It was the feeling of loneliness.

Every time that Pandora's Actor saw his creator went inside the Mausoleum, new statues of the Supreme Beings were erected. Each and every time he saw and felt his Creator, making the same lost and abandoned expression he made when he first came to the Mausoleum.

After each and every time he saw his father left the Treasury, Pandora's Actor would then went inside and see another statue of the Supreme Beings placed on one of the empty spaces.

Pandora's Actor's heart churned at each time he saw his Creator left the Mausoleum for each of the Supreme Beings who left the Great Tomb.

It wasn't fair! He wanted to help his Creator, he wanted to let him know he wasn't alone! There was him, his own personal creation, then there were the other NPCs created personally by the Supreme Beings themselves! Surely his Creator hadn't felt lost and abandoned until now, had he?

Nevertheless, he wanted to let his Creator know, whatever the cause the situation may represent itself, he will never let the feeling of loneliness get to his creator— even if the Great Tomb of Nazarick were to disappear, he wanted to be on his side whatever the cause may be. Even if he were to be cast out like trash, he will love and respect his Creator; this he swore since the day he was created and born by his Creator.

After so much time have passed since his Creator had last visited the Treasury, Pandora's Actor saw his watch strap given from and by his Creator, and saw the time was [23:59]. It was nearly time for the clock to strike at midnight.

Pandora's Actor sighed.

Although he wanted to see his creator one last time, but, alas, he couldn't do so. It was because, in order to enter and leave the Treasury, one must possess the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown in order to do so in the first, which the said ring isn't in his possession.

[23:59:35, 36, 37]

Pandora's Actor set his watch to count out the seconds as he waited, in his true form, for the time to reach at midnight.

[23:59:48, 49, 50]

He then closed his eyes and covered them using both of his hands as he sat on the couch, which room conveniently has.

[23:59:58, 59—]

He had hoped that someday, sometime, he'll be with father's side and wanted to be a part of his life, where he can never be alone again—

As the seconds passed for the time to reach midnight. He had hoped his Creator will visit the Treasury someday without the feeling of loneliness—

* * *

[0:00:00... 1, 2, 3]

"...Hm?"

 _How odd...? Since when did I lay myself down on the floor... And is this grass!?_

He immediately opened his eyes and sat straight, looking at his surroundings.

He found himself sitting on the middle of the Grassland, which Pandora's Actor is greatly confused of.

"What's going on?"

He saw his watch, it was still ticking. He saw the time as well.

[0:00:38]

The time was definitely midnight, it was clearly so. He was at the Treasury for a second, then the next second he found himself laying down with his back on the ground; wondering how he got here.

Confused, Pandora's Actor looked around, searching for any possible clues in the vicinity.

 _I know this isn't the Treasury, but where exactly am I?_

Although numerous reasons appeared in his mind, they were all far from he was looking for. However, the most likely reason is that somehow, someway, on how is it possible for him to appear so suddenly in this place.

"What... On earth happened?"

A deep, and familiar voice quietly muttered, almost as if deep in thought, the voice was heard by Pandora's Actor. And he knew, from the moment he heard it, who was the owner of the voice.

"...What the hell is going on!?"

This time, it was loud, and the voice was clearly angry. Pandora's Actor turned around and saw his Creator standing behind him — he saw his Creator's back to be precise — and Pandora's Actor immediately asked an obvious question that one make if they're at the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we, Mein Creator?"

He felt his Creator being startled as he looked around. It was then his eyes laid on Pandora's Actor and Pandora's Actor could feel he was shocked—

Nobody could ever describe the awkwardness between the two that had happened at this very moment.

* * *

After his Creator had ordered him to return to the location where they landed in this new world. Pandora's Actor looked up and stared at the dark, night sky as he walked back at the place where they last saw each other.

For whatever reasons, he and his Creator were suddenly sent to this new and strange world with unknown reasons. He and his Creator wanted answers; and the both of them would find out sooner or later than they both think it could.

 _I wonder, if this was by any chance, be fate as well?_

He shook his head. If this was fate, could it explain of how they were sent in this world? How it happened? If this was so, how could it be possible for him and his Creator to be in this world?

The Creation of Momonga pondered his thoughts as he slowly walked back to where he last saw his Creator.

"EHHHHH?!"

Pandora's Actor heard a scream, it was from his Creator, and from the sound of it, he might've discovered something shocking for him to made that scream.

He quickly broke into a jog, and its pace was like a normal human running at full speed, as he went to see his Creator.

If one could describe the impact of the two made in this world. One could say they changed everything.

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **Hopefully you like this intermission about Pandora's Actor.**

 **And like always be sure to press the Fav. Button if you like the story and please don't forget to leave a review and PM me for idea and suggestions. See you soon!**

 **gabrielchiong11 out.**


	5. Chapter 3

**Hello ladies and gentlemen. Gabrielchiong11 here and I'm back from the grave LOL.**

 **Anyways, would like to apologize for this late update. Since school had started back in June and I was focused on my other stories, I have neglected my duty as an author of this fic. And also I'm glad I'm back on working on my story because it was almost deleted after almost 90 days had passed. Phew.**

 **Also if you guys about the Plagiarism report thing. Well, fear no more because the guy had retracted his report as said in the review section. And the reason why he put that report was because he blamed me for copy-pasting references from the Overlord LN and he also told me that I didn't make a full disclaimer title!**

 **So I guess the disclaimer part falls to my fault. Sorry about that GoodSir of Achoo. *makes a bow and apologizing expression*.**

 **So anyways enough of that so for the people out there if you read this part I implore you.**

 **"Just tell the person you have made a mistake politely and be clear about it. Because, the said person might be from a foreign nation where English isn't his/her mother tongue."**

 **So hope you like this chapter I made it extra long because I haven't updated for over 3 Months now. So enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in this story. All of this belongs to their respective owners.**

 **So without any further adieu, let's begin.**

* * *

 _How can this be possible?_ _!_ _I refuse to believe it_ _!_

What Momonga saw was the status screen shown in front of him.

「Status Check」 is a basic user interface that allows the player to see his level, race, stats, etc. All in one floating screen that only he or she can see it.

He sees his level is [200].

While it may seem that its already there in the first place, but for Momonga he knows that it wasn't there since he last saw it.

 _I know my stats like the back of my hand, but it seems to be entirely different than before. I mean, what the hell?_ _!_

He used 「Status Check」once more to see it for further confirmation.

It shows.

* * *

 **Level: 200**

 **Name: Momonga.**

 **Race: Heteromorphic.**

 **Epithet: The Strongest Magic Caster with the Appearance of a Skeleton.**

 **Occupation:** **Currently Unemployed.**

 **Racial Class: Skeleton Mage (15)**

 **Elder Lich (10)**

 **Overlord (5)**

 **others (10)**

 **Job Class: Necromancer (10)**

 **Ruler of Death (10)**

 **Eclipse (5)**

 **others (35** **)**

 **Total: 100/200**

 **Approximate Status.**

 **HP: 160.**

 **MP: Exceeds Limit.**

 **Phy. Atk: 135**

 **Phy. Def: 170**

 **Agility: 140**

 **Mag. Atk: 190**

 **Mag. Def: 195**

 **Resistance: 195**

 **Special Ability: 200**

* * *

Momonga's undead jaw dropped at the sight of his level and stats. Making him wonder how he even got it in the first place.

The level wasn't his only concern, no, it was the occupation that made him screamed earlier.

There were multiple questions forming inside his skull-head. How the hell was he unemployed? Does that mean Ainz Ooal Gown was disbanded and that his occupation as Guildmaster of the Great Tomb of Nazarick was now nonexistent? How about Pandora's Actor, shouldn't he be erased as well? And the questions continue so on...

 _No I shouldn't worry about such a thing_ _._ _But the question is_ _,_ _how did I gain so many spells?_

If Momonga could remember the lore of his Overlord skill 「Dark Wisdom」it should've increased the limit of spells and gain the magical prowess of the enemies that the Overlord defeated in his quest for magical knowledge or so the lore says it should.

 _But it doesn't make any_ _logical_ _sense. If I recall correctly, I haven't PKed players after my friends left Yggdrasil and that was over years ago. How come I even possessed over Three_ _-T_ _housand different spells, that vary depending from each job class?_

Momonga didn't notice that his right hand was subconsciously moving on its own, as it tries to tap the word [Overlord] without the owner's consent.

It didn't take long until Momonga felt his bony finger tapped on the floating screen.

Momonga raised his nonexistent brow. When did he moved his right hand anyway?

Before Momonga could even do something about it. The word [Overlord] was highlighted in red as another page appears under the said racial class.

"Umu, this is new."

Momonga uttered those words in curiosity, he never saw this in his entire gaming life in YGGDRASIL and he never heard it from his comrades either; so it must be special.

It says:

* * *

 **Light Wisdom: A variant of the Skill** **「** **Dark Wisdom** **」** **It let's the Overlord gain the power of the Great Holy beings that shed hope to those who are good and bring light to the world. The Overlord can use Holy and Faith based magic the same way as an experienced caster of the said class. (Prerequisite: must be level 125** **and has Dark Wisdom skill** **.)**

 **Druidic Wisdom: A variant of the skill** **「** **Dark Wisdom** **」** **it let's the Overlord gain the power of those who communed with the Natural World and those who gained from it. The Overlord can use Druidic based magic the same way as an experienced caster of the said class. (Prerequisite: must be level 150** **and has Dark and Light Wisdom skill** **.)**

 **Arcana Wisdom: A variant of the skill** **「** **Dark Wisdom** **」** **It lets the Overlord gained the power of the mysteries of the unknown world and can use the elements made in the physical realm that compose of the world. The Overlord can use Arcane Magic the same way as an experienced caster of the said class. (Prerequisite: must be level 175** **and has Dark, Light, and Druidic Wisdom skill** **.)**

 **Warriors Martial Prowess and Wisdom: A variant of the skill** **「** **Dark Wisdom** **」** **It let's the Overlord learn and do what was restricted to those who can cast magic; Weaponry of the Physical and Spiritual realm can the Overlord wield the awesome might of every warrior in the Nine Realms. The Overlord can use weapons and skills that is exclusively for warriors only; can create its own special moves. (Prerequisite: must be level 200** **and has the aforementioned skills above** **.)**

* * *

Momonga was speechless at what read read just now. It goes to say that it pretty much answered to most of his questions.

 _Hmm... How strange? But the question remains. Is there any particular reason as to why I have two hundred as my current level? Because, it would seem unreasonable for most people to see me have this kind of thing._

There were still several questions regarding as to why he was transferred to this world? Why Pandora's Actor still exists even though Ainz Ooal Gown was, possibly, disbanded? Why Momonga still holds the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown? So many questions and yet so little answers.

 _No matter. Questions like this would be answered as the time comes like in those clichè story books about Heroes, destiny, and stuff... Uwah~ again? How did I become so cold and smart all of the sudden?_

Those thoughts still remains a mystery as to why he was so intelligent and smart all of the sudden. But he assumed due to giving points to those Intelligent stats in order to increase the potency of his magical abilities.

"Momonga-sama is something wrong? I heard you scream before I came here."

The familiar voice suddenly called out and Momonga immediately recognized it after he had heard it.

It was Pandora's Actor.

"Umu, it was nothing Pandora's Actor I was looking at... my status screen, recently with the use of...「Status Check」 ."

He told Pandora's Actor the truth. there was no reason for him to lie about it since they are alone in this place; nothing to worry about it, right?

"Forgive me Momonga-sama, but I don't quite understand what you mean about 「Status Check」? Is it some sort of ability that only the Supreme Ones and other Players possessed?"

"Uh, about that. I don't think that we, my comrades, and other Players are not the only ones that possessed that kind of ability Pandora's Actor. This is why I wanted to discuss something with you, can you use [Status Check] ?"

"I afraid not Momonga-sama, but can you teach me how to use it? I think I'll be able to use it based on your guidance."

Momonga for the first time since he had spoken to Pandora's Actor was shocked. Initially he would thought that Pandora's Actor would usually put up an exaggerated expression, it would've seem he had completely changed.

 _Well, better answer him now._

"Well it's very simple. just call [Status Check] and it should appear as a floating screen board which consists of your name, race, job, etc. You should try it, but it would only show to you only, as such, I can't see what you currently possessed right now."

He explained it to his creation. Since this a New World with strange and unknown number of surprises that would bite him in the dust. After all this was only an experiment that if an NPC, such as Pandora's Actor, could use 「Status Check」then this world's rules are much different than that of YGGDRASIL's.

"Ah, thank you my creator I will do as you say so. 「Status Check」."

After he called out those words, Pandora's Actor let out a confused "Eh?" and went silent for a few moments.

Intrigued by his silence, Momonga decided to question his creation.

"Well... what did you saw?"

"I'm sorry Momonga-sama, but there seems to be a mistake about my level."

"Level? How high is it?"

"200."

Momonga's undead jaw dropped at the revelation. Did he heard it right? Does it mean Pandora's Actor's level is as high as him?

"Your approximate status?"

"A hundred increase of the abilities that I used to have when you first created me."

 _Strange? Why me and Pandora's Actor are both level_ _200_ _?_

Momonga pondered, lost in thought, while Pandora's Actor only looked at his creator in silence.

Momonga's thoughts were briefly interrupted by Pandora's Actor who suddenly asked him.

"Momonga-sama may I ask how high is your level is? You've asked mine, may I ask yours?"

Momonga could not immediately answer to his creation, but paused and wondered why he asked those questions.

 _Is it because_ _I_ _made an excuse for th_ _is_ _discussion? Or was it_ _because I made that scream earlier?_

Nonetheless, Momonga could not afford to make his creation wait for too long; because he might receive a negative response from his only subordinate.

"My level is the same as yours Pandora's Actor; my level is 200."

He answered truthfully to Pandora's Actor. But since there's a possibility that they're the only ones transported to this world, it should be best to be honest with each other in times such as this.

"Well that explains for the scream you had made earlier Momonga-sama."

"Wait, you heard it? How far were you when you first heard it?"

"About nearly a kilometer before I made it here."

Momonga could only look at his own creation in shock and awe as his creation managed to bring the clues together, despite being in bits of pieces scattered around. It would've seem that Pandora's Actor is more intelligent than he gave him credit for.

"Umu, it is as you say."

After Momonga made that comment there was a brief moment of silence in the air.

Neither of them spoke nor move because none of them had the idea for the next topic.

The next moment the night sky was suddenly illuminated with stars and beautiful milky ways that can only be seen in a cloudless summer night in certain places; it was only as if someone turned on a switch that made it appear so suddenly.

Momonga awed at the beautiful sight in the night sky with Pandora's Actor having the same awed look as Momonga.

 _It's beautiful. I wish Blue Planet-san could see this with me alongside with my comrades._

After he had made that thought Momonga made a nostalgic and sad, nonexistent, smile as he remembered his comrades wanted to see a bright and starry night sky like this.

Back in the world where Satoru Suzuki lived, the sky was always covered in pollution and many people had used artificial lungs to survive such a environment. As such,4) it was very rare for people like the salaryman Satoru Suzuki to see such things.

"Pandora's Actor... It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Momonga suddenly spoke those words to Pandora's Actor, who in turn looked at him and asked.

"You mean those stars above? Why did you say that? Of course it's beautiful, this is my first time I've actually seen a night sky so beautiful; I've only been in the treasury that you've stationed me there, so I didn't get a chance to see such a view."

"I-Is that so?"

Momonga wondered if Pandora's Actor can actually remember his time in the treasury, does that mean that during the great siege did the Floor Guardians remember the events that happened? Do they remember their deaths? What was the concept of "Death" means to a NPC anyway?

"Pandora's Actor."

"Yes Momonga-sama?"

"I have a question for you. To start with I want to know. What kind of person am I to you? I want to hear the honest opinion from your heart."

The reason why Momonga asked him that question was to know that deep down he was worried that Pandora's Actor might have a negative look on him and might have planned to rebel him for any possible reasons.

Pandora's Actor then made a series of over dramatic poses and spoke in an exaggerated epic voice. (A:N Just imagine Pandora's Actor doing the same moves in the Anime in season 1 episode 11 in the Treasury.)

"You are my Creator, my Father, and most of all; the leader of the Supreme Beings! I have nothing to express but the gratitude I have towards you for personally creating me and giving me knowledge that I know not that it exists outside of my own!"

Ignoring the dramatic poses and the epic voice he had made. it seems he's very sincere at what he had said.

 _And here I thought he had completely changed for good._

He suppressed the urge to facepalm at the sight, but at least his emotion suppressor managed to calm him down.

"Ahem, thank you for that Pandora's Actor. I have heard and understand your opinion." Momonga said as he looked around.

"Tell me, Pandora's Actor. Were there any forests around this area?"

Pandora's Actor indignantly replied.

"Yes, there is one."

Before Pandora's Actor had received a 「Message」call from Momonga, he had used a low-tier scrying spell to spot distances which would normally take a good telescope to see it.

Momonga nodded, before he made a request.

"Good. How about a short sparring-session? I want to see how strong we are in our current level, after all it has been awhile since I got good match, don't you agree Pandora's Actor?"

Pandora's Actor nodded and asked.

"Then which form should I use, mein Creator? Should I use your form or in my original form?"

"You can choose any form you like Pandora's Actor, except for Ulbert and Touch Me-san's, their forms are not to be used in battle. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mein Creator, I understand."

"Good. 「Create Greater Item」!"

Once Momonga had cast a spell, a black greatsword appeared on his right hand.

The sword that Momonga wielded — over one hundred fifty centimeters long — looked exceptionally ornate. They resembled works of art more than tools of war.

A pair of intertwined serpents were carved into the blades. Their tips were rounded and wider across than the rest of the sword, like a pair of opened fans. The edges radiated a cold, sharp radiance.

Momonga swung the greatsword around. It was as light as a feather.

Of course, this was not because the blade was light, but because Momonga was very strong.

Momonga was a mage and his spell casting stats were very high, but his physical stats were lower in comparison. Still, the strength he had gained from reaching level one hundred was not an inconsiderable figure. If he encountered weak monsters, he could easily pulverize them with his staff.

But since his level was two hundred, he wanted to see how strong he truly was in his current level. Including Pandora's Actor as well, to see if he got anything he needs to know of.

Momonga slowly took a fighting stance. Somehow knowing the basics and advanced styles of using a greatsword flowing through Momonga's skull, similar to a computer receiving data from another source.

 _Such information! So this is what it feels like when new data and information was found, oh how exciting! Not only that, I can even use this blade on my hand without any restrictions!_

Momonga smiled a nonexistent smile at the thought of it, before holding the blade in a way like a level one hundred warrior should hold and finally finished taking a stance. After that, he changed his normal attire to a different one.

He's choice of clothing was a jet-black robe with golden and silver patterns, its garment glowed darkly, and It looked very expensive.

Pandora's Actor seemed surprised at this, but nonetheless transform in a heartbeat and took the form of Momonga. He also casted 「Create Greater Item」and a black greatsword, similar that of Momonga's, and took a fighting stance as well.

After few moments of silence, neither both of them move at during those moments. Before two huge resounding explosions exploded as the two high level beings launch towards each other moving faster than sound itself, breaking the barrier in less than mere milliseconds.

Momonga used both of hands and made a double-handed downward slash while Pandora's Actor reacted to the move and blocked the strike with a magic-made sword. The strike was so immensely powerful it actually caused a shockwave, so strong it can easily uproot trees in an instant.

Under certain circumstances, the greatsword made by magic should be broken under the extreme pressure of the strike. Magic-generated weapons made by Magic Casters at level one hundred would easily break made by a strike of a level one hundred warrior.

Though the greatsword was made in level two hundred should be able to easily withstand a strike made by a level one hundred warrior. Though Momonga's class wasn't a warrior by default, his strike equaled that of a level one hundred warrior, given his level was two hundred.

Momonga instantly backed away, now knowing he can control the level and intensity of the strike, and took a defensive stance.

Now it was Pandora's Actor's turn.

Pandora's Actor quickly closed in the distance between him and Momonga and made multiple strikes, while Momonga himself had quickly blocked those strikes in blindingly fast reaction-speed.

They clashed their greatswords with either side giving no chance of an opening between them as they rain and block each others strikes.

Each of their strikes produced shockwaves so powerful, the air around them shuddered in their wake.

They moved around the field in fast-speeds, each disappearing with a flicker and blur. So fast, that someone watching this would thought they have used teleportation spells to disappear and reappear so suddenly.

If one could see and describe their fight, it could be "A Duel between the gods" or "Beings of absolute power fighting for dominance" and so on...

The sound clashing of swords could be heard in the surrounding area, though at night, the sounds could be heard in a considerable distance. A certain nearby village heard the sounds though it was small, the villagers went back to sleep, not noticing it even the dead of night.

This spar had lasted for few hours, though it was supposedly short. But since their stamina was so great they didn't even realize it by now. Since Momonga was an undead, he couldn't feel any form of physical fatigue in his body.

Meanwhile for Pandora's Actor, he was classified as a "living being" he was subject to fatigue. But, since he received a magic item that can remove the status effect called fatigue. He could stand and fight toe-to-toe with an undead, which is said to have unlimited stamina and he was using the said item.

Momonga held the advantage in this spar, this was because of Pandora's Actor's ability can only copy about 80% of the potency the person he had copied from. But Momonga, who wanted a good challenge, purposely used only 80% of his ability in order to make it seem they are both equals.

For Pandora's Actor, he was having a great time of his entire life. Not only his wish to stay by his Creator's side came somewhat true, he had gained live-battle experience with his Creator from this sparring-session. Since the Treasury was guarded by a powerful poison and needs the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown to enter the room. As such, Pandora's Actor had little to no battle experience with other enemy players unlike his other fellow Guardians, who had faced an invasion force of over 1,500 players and managed to defeat them.

After blocking another strike, the two backed away and held their greatsword before each of the blade on their hands glowed in a bright light and the greatswords they were using disappeared without a trace.

For a few moments, silence reigned in the air while the two beings first made a small chuckle before making a full-blown laughter.

It was fun and exciting. For Momonga, this was first time in awhile had actually sparred with someone who can give him good challenge and it was great!

Not-knowing his emotion suppressor could suppress any emotion. A green light enveloped around Momonga's skeletal body and immediately his emotion was suppressed.

Momonga let out a breathless sigh. Now he needed to find how he can adjust this "emotion suppressor" to certain levels, and it was getting really annoying with his positive emotions suppressed each time. But at the same time, extremely glad that it could also suppressed negative emotions when needed to suppress.

As for Pandora's Actor he was having fun as well. After all, it was rare for a NPC, such as him, could fight his/her Creator even back in YGGDRASIL.

"I think that should be enough Pandora's Actor. We have been sparring far too long than it should be. How about a draw? If that's alright with you?"

"Ja, mein Creator. It's alright on making this spar a draw."

After Pandora's Actor said those words, he then reverted back to his original form and calmly walked towards Momonga.

Momonga returned back to his original attire as he noticed the sun rising behind him.

He checked his wrist-watch and saw it was nearly six o'clock.

 _We have been sparring far longer than we thought would be._ Momonga thought while Pandora's Actor stood besides him.

With the sun rising, signifying the start of a new day, they saw the burnt marks made by Momonga when he faced the Goblin-Ogre army.

 _I think I overdid it._

Noticing the burnt marks, Pandora's Actor asked.

"Did you do this, mein Creator?"

Momonga nodded as he stared the damages he had made.

It would be troublesome if someone who had been here in place would notice the burnt marks made by Momonga after he had faced the demihuman army earlier.

 _Well better fix it then._

"「Gaia's Restoration 」."

「Gaia's Restoration 」a Seventh-tier Druidic spell that is said to have the restoring powers of the Titan Gaia, the Titan of Earth and the Empress of the Titans. This spell has been considered by most players as useless, because it would only restore the surrounding area back to its original lushful green and has no combat abilities.

But as for this case, it would seem that it was the perfect time and place to use such spell.

Once he casted the spell, a dark-green glow appeared on the black burnt marks as grass had started grow on the charred ground.

Looking at Momonga, who had casted the spell, Pandora's Actor asked.

"Mein Creator, I never knew you could use a Druid spell like this? Is this somewhat related to your level being 200?"

Although he had copied his Creator's form during their Spar earlier. He could not understand why his Creator has something like Arcana Wisdom, and the like.

For him, someone might've been tinkering his Creator's level.

"Yes, I could use such spell. And to tell you frankly Pandora's Actor..." Momonga paused a bit, "I'm not sure how I even got this spell. The only answer I got was because of the Wisdom Skills."

"Wisdom Skills?" Pandora's Actor asked, as he remembered that his Creator has that when he first copied him during their spar.

"They're basically racial skills that I, somehow, obtained in this world. It goes to reason why I was able to use such a spell."

There were spells that required certain prerequisites gain spells. Examples on gaining those spells required certain job-classes in order to complete the prerequisites to gain those exclusive spells.

 _Though I'm surprised he even asked that question. It goes to show that he and I could get along with each other, even though his basically my creation. I wonder, if Nazarick was here, could the Guardians speak casually like him?"_

That question was formed due to the casual questions Pandora's Actor had made. He even imagined most of them would bow down and say unnecessary praises that would rack his skull-head from making mistakes in front of his Comrades creations.

Momonga let out a breathless sigh at the thought of it. He could imagine the stress that they will make if their expectations of him were so high.

"Pandora's Actor."

The doppelganger looked at his Creator and performed a grossly-made salute.

 _Didn't I told him to stop doing that?!_

"Yes, Momonga-sama?"

"We should go now. Our work here is done, we must know how this world works. As well as performing experiments to make sure if our items and equipment still works."

"Of course, mein Creator."

"Good... Now tell me. Where can I find this forest?"

* * *

They were close to the outskirts of the village.

Enri heard the sound of clanking metal from behind her as she ran. It was a rhythmic sound.

She looked behind with a prayer in her heart — as expected, it was the worst-case scenario. A knight was chasing the Emmot sisters.

Just a little further.

Enri took a deep breath and forced herself to soldier on. She had no energy to waste on anything else.

Her breathing was rapid ,her heart beating hard enough that she felt it would burst, and her legs were shaking mightily. Soon enough, she would be completely exhausted, and she would collapse and not get up.

If she were alone, perhaps she might have lost the strength to run and given up.

However, she was holding her little sister's hand. It gave her the energy to run away.

The truth was that the powerful desire to save her sister had kept Enri going until now.

As she ran, she glanced behind again.

The distance between herself and her pursuer had not changed. Even in armor, the man's speed had not decreased. This was the difference between a trained warrior and a village girl.

Sweat ran down Enri's back as her body went cold. If this kept up… She would not be able to escape with her sister.

—Let her go.

Those words echoed through her head.

—Perhaps you could escape by yourself.

—Do you want to die here?

—It might be safer if you split up.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Enri shouted at herself for those thoughts through her clenched teeth.

She was the worst sister imaginable.

Why was her little sister holding her tears back?

It was because she believed in her big sister. She believed her big sister would save her.

As she gripped the hand of her little sister — that hand which gave her the, strength to flee andfight on — Enri steeled herself and hardened her resolve.

She would never abandon her sister.

"Ah!"

Enri's younger sister was as tired as Enri herself. Therefore, she suddenly stumbled, yelped, and almost fell.

The reason why the two of them had not fallen was because they were holding tightly onto each other's hands. However, Nemu's near-fall caused Enri to falter herself.

"Faster!"

"Ah, yes!"

Although she wanted to run on, her little sister was starting to cramp up, and she could not move fast. Enri wanted to pick up Nemu and run, but the sounds of metal drawing up beside her filled Enri with fear.

The knight beside her held a bloodstained sword. In addition, his armor and helm were covered in traces of spattered blood.

Enri pushed Nemu behind herself and glared angrily at the knight.

"It's pointless to struggle."

There was no compassion in those words. Instead, there was only mockery. Those words implied that running would only end in death anyway.

The anger in Enri's heart boiled over, and she thought, _What was he saying?_

The knight raised his sword to Enri, who had stopped moving. However, just before he could swing it down on them—

"Don't look down on me!"

"Guwaargh!"

—Enri forcefully punched the knight's metal helmet. That strike carried the anger that filled her and the desire to protect her little sister. She did not care that she was striking metal with her bare hand. She hit him with every ounce of her strength.

There was the sound of something like bones cracking, and soon pain spread throughout Enri's body. The knight wobbled under the force of the mighty blow.

"Hurry!"

"Yes!"

Enri bit back the pain and made to flee again — and suddenly a line of scorching heat bloomed on her back.

"—Ggk!"

"Damn you!"

The village girl punching the knight in the face had shamed him, hence his anger.

He was swinging his sword wildly, having lost his cool. As a result, his first blow did not cause a mortal wound. However, that was the end of her luck. Enri was hurt, and the knight was filled with rage. The next blow would certainly take her life.

Enri looked at the longsword raised high before her.

Panic was written all over her face as she watched the malevolent gleaming of the terrible swift sword, and she realized two things.

The first was that her life would be over in a few seconds. The second was that an ordinary village girl like herself had no way of fighting that fate.

The tip of the sword was stained with some of her blood. As her heartbeat faster, the pain spread through her body, along with the scorching heat of her wound.

The pain she had never felt before filled her with fear and made her want to throw up.

Perhaps vomiting would clear the feeling of nausea that filled her.

However, Enri was looking for a way to live, so she had no time to throw up.

Although she wanted to abandon her struggle, there was a reason why Enri had not given up until now. That was the warmth pressed against her chest — her younger sister.

She had to let her sister live.

That sole thought kept Enri from giving in.

In contrast, the armored knight in front of her seemed to be mocking Enri's resolve.

The raised sword swung down.

Perhaps it was because all her energies were concentrated here, or because her brain was working overtime because she was on the verge of life and death, but Enri felt that time was passing very slowly, and she desperately tried to think of someway to save her little sister.

However, she could not think of anything. All she could do was use her own body as a shield, letting the blade cleave deeply into herself, in the hope of buying time for her little sister to escape.

As long as she had the strength, she would hang on tightly to the knight or the sword he stuck in her, holding on tight and not letting go until the flame of her life guttered out.

If she could do that. she would gladly accept her fate.

Enri smiled, as though she were a martyr.

As.a big sister, this was all she could do for Nemu. The thought made Enri smile.

Could Nemu escape the hell that was Carne Village by herself?

Even if she fled into the forest, she might run into patrols of soldiers. However, as long as she could survive, there was a possibility of escape. In order to give her little sister the chance to survive, Enri would bet her life — no, she would bet everything.

That said, the idea of being hurt again frightened her, so she closed her eyes. In this world of darkness, she prepared herself for the pain that would come—

* * *

The two beings, a Skeletal Overlord and a Greater Doppelganger, sat on a bark of a fallen tree and looked at the mirror before them. The roughly one meter mirror did not reflect their faces, but a patch of grass. The mirror was like a television set, showing a image of a distant plain.

The grass of the plains swayed in the wind, proving it was not a still image.

As time passed, the sun slowly rose, its light banishing the darkness that covered the plains. This pastoral scene, almost poetic in its beauty, was a stark difference from the desolate world of Helheim.

Momonga reached out to the mirror and swiped his right hand. The mirror's image changed.

This was a Mirror of Remote Viewing.

This was a magic item used to display an image if an specific region. It was a very useful item for player-killers, or player-killer-killers. However, there were low level spells which occluded information-gathering spells that could hide people from the mirror's eyes. In addition, it was easy for users to be counterattacked by offensive barriers, so it was an average item at best.

However, for the present circumstances, an item which could show the world beyond was a very useful item indeed.

Momonga enjoyed the movie-like quality of the grass within the mirror as the image changed.

"It would seem that I can move the image with a wave of the hand. That way, I won't have to keep looking at the same spot."

The scenery and the angles with which it was viewed changed within the floating mirror. Although he had made several mistakes so far, Momonga kept changing his gestures to alter the landscape within the mirror, hoping that he would find someone. However, up till now, he had not found any intelligent beings — for instance, humans.

He repeated the same simple gestures over and over again, but all the images he got were the same: plains. Momonga was starting to get bored, so he looked at the person beside him.

"What's wrong, mein Creator? Is it my turn to use the mirror?"

"No, not yet. Sorry about that, Pandora's Actor."

Pandora's Actor was the person who sat besides him. After wandering around the forest for nearly three days, though the reason wasn't because they were just lost. Momonga, the now unemployed Guildmaster, had purposely got themselves lost was because he could map the layout of the forest and put warp points in key locations. So in case there was something wrong, they could just teleport away safely in one of those locations.

They only encountered weak monsters, such as Ogres and Goblins, so far it would seem the forest was relatively uncharted by the locals of this world

During those three days time. Momonga had been doing some experiments, examples are his skills works, his items, and such.

Not to mention, he even gotten used to Pandora's Actor's over dramatic actions that is startling okay with him. Hell, there was one time he accidently adopted a dramatic pose similar to his creation's. It goes to reason that Pandora's Actor's actions and poses had rooted deep inside of Momonga's system.

 _If my comrades were here, they would likely laugh at me._

Momonga suppressed the urge to cover his face with his hands in embarrassment. Before his emotion suppressor had immediately suppress it.

After grumbling in his heart, Momonga looked back at the mirror.

Momonga's plan was to teach Pandora's Actor the hard-learned lessons of how to control the magic mirror. This was what Momonga was planning if he were to put a security net, after they base they could use.

Although it would have been simpler to leave this task to Pandora's Actor, Momonga wanted to handle this task personally. The truth was that he wanted to use his can-do working attitude to inspire and gain the respect of his future subordinates, it seemed farfetched though.

Therefore he could not be seen to give up halfway.

 _Still, why can't I switch to a higher vintage point? If only there were a manual..._

With these thoughts in mind, Momonga went about the painstaking work of figuring the mirror's controls out by boring, repetitive trial and error.

He did not know how long it had been.

It might have been a while, but so far his work had not borne fruit, and he could not help but feel like this was all a waste of time.

Momonga casually was his hand with a vacant expression, and his field of vision suddenly expanded.

"Oh!"

Surprise, delight, pride, Momonga's exclamation was filled with all of these. At his wit's end, he made a random gesture and the screen suddenly did as he wanted. This was a cry of joy one would expect out of a programmer who had pulled eight hour's worth of overtime.

Cheering and clapping answered him. The source of these two sounds was Pandora's Actor.

"Congratulations, mein Creator! Your creation, Pandora's Actor, stand in awe of your hard work!"

 _Granted, this was the fruit of extensive trial and error, so you need to go that far._

Momonga thought that, but when he saw that Pandora's Actor seemed quite happy, he decided to humbly accept the treasurer's praise.

"Thank you, Pandora's Actor. Although I apologize that I haven't given your turn of this mirror."

"What are you saying? Watching you how to control the mirror gave me an inspiration that working through trial and error would give good results. Though there is no need to apologize to me... Although it is true that this process took quite some time. Mein Creator, can I take my turn of the mirror."

"Yes, of course. After all, you've been waiting this for a while now, so you can do as you please."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mein Creator. If it weren't for the magic items you gave me that prevents fatigue, then I won't be able to stay all night waiting for my turn. Please allow me to move the mirror to my side."

Momonga realised one thing from his conversations with Pandora's Actor; namely, he casually used game terms in his speech. For instance, skills, job classes, items, levels, negative statuses, and so on. If he could use game terms with him in an unironic way, it might be easier to give him orders.

After agreeing to Pandora's Actor's request, he let his creation have the mirror and continued studying the ways to control the mirror through his creation. Finally the both of them discovered a method to adjust the height of their view point.

The two smiled in satisfaction, and began looking for a populated area.

Finally, an image of something like a village appeared on the mirror.

It was located roughly five kilometers south of their current location. There was a forest nearby, and wheat fields surrounded a settlement. It appeared to be arustic farming village. By the looks of things, the village itself was not very developed.

As Pandora's Actor zoomed in on the village, he felt that something was amiss.

"...Are they holding a festival?"

People were running in and out of their houses this early in the morning. They looked panicked.

"No, that is not a festival."

That cold voice came from Momonga, who was watching the display with his empty eye sockets glowing deathly blood-red.

"Pandora's Actor hand me the mirror."

"Yes, mein Creator."

Pandora's Actor moved the mirror and Momonga enlarge the mirror, he and Pandora's Actor furrowed their nonexistent brows.

Fully armored knights their longswords at the villagers, who were dressed in rough clothes.

It was a massacre.

A villager fell with every swing of a knight's sword. The villagers could not resist them, and could only run away. The knights pursued and killed the fleeing villagers. There were horses eating the grain of the field. Those horses must have belonged to the knights.

"Cheh!"

Momonga scoffed, intending to change the image. This village had no value to him. If he could extract more information from it, perhaps he might have a reason to save them. But as things stood, there was no reason to save this village.

He should abandon them.

Momonga was taken aback by how he could make such a heartless decision. A cruel slaughter was occurring before his eyes, but the only thing he could think was the good of him and Pandora's Actor. There was nothing like pity, anger, or worry, basic human emotions anyone should have.

Could it be that as one of the undead, he no longer considered himself part of humanity?

 _No, how could that be?_

Momonga struggled to find an excuse to justify his thinking.

He was not an agent of justice.

He was level two hundred, but as he just thought of it now, this world's commoners might well be level two hundred as well. Therefore, he could not tread blindly into this unknown world. Although it looked like the knights were conducting a one-sided slaughter of the villagers, there might be other reasons at work here which he did not know about. Reasons like "illness, judgment, setting an example," and others like them kept appearing in his mind. And if he stepped in and defeated the knights, he might earn the ire of the country they belonged to.

Momonga stretched out his bony hand and rubbed his skull as he thought. Could it be that after becoming an undead being who was immune to mind-affecting effects, he had become inured to scenes like this? Definitely not.

He waved his hand again, showing a scene from another part of the village.

It seemed like two knights were trying to pull a violently struggled villager off another knight. The man was pulled away, his arms were held, and he was rendered motionless where he stood. Before Momonga's eyes, the man stabbed with a sword. The blade entered his body and exited from the other side of him of him. It should have been a fatal blow, but the longsword did not stop. One, two, three strikes — the knight seemed to be taking out his anger on the villager as he hacked at the man's body.

In the end, the knight kicked away the villager, who collapsed to the ground while spurting his blood into the air.

—The villager looked straight at Momonga. No this might have been a coincidence.

It was definitely a coincidence.

There was no way for anyone to detect the mirror's surveillance apart from anti-divination spells.

Frothy blood leaked from the villager's mouth as he tried to open his mouth. His eyes were unfocused, and Momonga could not tell where he was looking. Even so, with what may have been his dying breaths, he gasped his words:

— _Please save my daughter—_

"What do you intend to do, mein Creator?"

Pandora's Actor seemed to be waiting for this moment to speak.

There could be one answer. Momonga replied coldly:

"Nothing. There is no reason, value, or benefit in rescuing them."

"—Are you sure?"

Momonga nonchalantly looked at Pandora's Actor —who had transformed into his past guildmate.

"This... Touch Me-san..."

Just then Momonga remembered something.

— _Saving someone in trouble is common sense._

When Momonga had just started out in YGGDRASIL, hunting down characters of heteromorphic races was a common practice, and Momonga, who had chosen such a race, had been PKed countless times. Just when he was about to leave YGGDRASIL, those words, spoken by that man, had saved him.

If not for those words, Momonga would not be here.

Momonga sighed softly, and then he smiled. Now that he had recalled that memory, he had no choice but to save them.

"I will repay that debt... Besides, sooner or later, I'll have to test my strength against the locals in this world."

After saying that to his absent friend, Momonga enlarged the view of the village until he saw everything. After that, he tried to pick out the surviving villagers.

"Pandora's Actor, be on high alert. I will go first, and revert back to your original form, and follow me using 「Greater Teleportation」. Understood?"

"Yes, I understand mein Creator. I'll wish you safe travel."

The Image changed, and now it showed a girl sending a knight flying with a punch. The girl was leading an even younger girl as they ran away. They were probably sisters. Momonga casted 「Create Greater Item」,and a Katana appeared on his right hand and held it in a reverse-grip of its handle.

Just the girl planned to flee, she was slashed in the back. Since time was tight, Momonga swiftly incanted a spell.

"「Instant Teleportation 」."

A spell that was limited by how much the MP the caster have; has ,theoretically, 0% chance of teleportation mishaps, and can teleport anyone in an instant.

The spell Momonga used was his original spell. In which he had created a couple days ago. As soon it was created, it was immediately categorized as an 8th Tier spell. Which was surprisingly accurate.

The reason he had chosen that spell was because of an experiment. He wanted to see how combat capable the spell really is, and this was the perfect opportunity to use such spell.

The scene before him changed in an instant.

The fact that the opposition had not used teleport-blocking filled Momonga with relief. If he was denied the chance to rescue them, and was ambushed instead, it would have been bad.

The scene before his eyes was that the knight was about slash, Momonga blocked it with his Katana.

Two terrified girls were behind him.

The one who looked like the elder sister had a braid of straw-blonde hair that reached down to her breasts. Her skin, healthily tanned from working in the sun, was now deathly pale from fear, and her dark eyes were wet with tears.

The little sister —the younger girl— buried her face in her sister's waist, trembling in fright.

Momonga gazed coldly at the knight in front of him.

Perhaps he was shocked by Momonga's sudden appearance, but the knight simply stared at Momonga, having apparently forgotten to move back and did not return to his fighting stance.

"Hmm... This is what I call the experiment successful, indeed it is truly a success."

"Indeed it was mein Creator. If you say that it was a success, then applaud you for this successful experiment."

Pandora's Actor appeared behind the two girls, surprising the sisters, after he had used 「Greater Teleportation 」.

Momonga had grown up without knowing the touch of violence in his life. He did not think that the world in which he currently resides was a simulation, but the real thing. Even so, he did not feel the slightest bit of fear.

This calmness allowed him to make a cold, cruel decision.

Momonga reached out his left hand and cast his spell.

"I suggest you should look away, mein Fräulein. It will be terrible sight to behold."

Pandora's Actor warned the girls at what his creator was about to do.

"「Grasp Heart」."

This spell was one that crushed a foe's heart, and among the ten tiers of spells, it was an instant death spell of the 9th Tier. Many of the necromantic spells which Momonga was adept with with possessed instant death properties, and this was one of them.

Momonga had chosen to open this spell because even if it was resisted, the spell would temporarily stun his opponent.

If the spell had been resisted, his plan was to take the two girls, teleport using 「Instant Teleportation 」, and let Pandora's Actor transform one of them and distract them enough so that he could also escape. He had already planned his route of retreat since he was not sure what his opponents could do.

However, it would seem those preparations would not be necessary.

A feeling of something soft crushing beneath Momonga's fingers travelled up his arm, and the knight collapsed silently to the ground.

Momonga looked down at the fallen knight.

It would seem that even killing someone did not stir any emotions within him.

There was no guilt, fear, nor confusion in his heart, which was was like the surface of a calm lake.

 _Why was it like this?_

"I see... So it's not just my body, but my mind that's no longer human."

Momonga took a step forward.

The elder sister squeaked in confusion as Momonga walked past her, probably in fear at the knight's demise.

Momonga had clearly come to rescue her. However, the girl was seemingly confused by Momonga's sudden appearance and actions.

 _What was she thinking?_

Although he had his doubts, Momonga did not have time to worry about them. After verifying the wounds on the elder sister's back through her tatty old clothes. Momonga put the girls aside him, and glared at a knight, who had just emerged from a nearby house.

The knight saw Momonga and Pandora's Actor as well, and took a step back in fear.

"...So, you dare to chase girls, but not someone who can fight back?"

As Momonga stared down the quivering knight, he considered what spell to use next.

Momonga's opening spell was one that he particularly favored 「Grasp Heart」. This sort of magic was Momonga's specialty. Momonga had used his innate skills to increase the chances of instant death, and his necromancy-enhancing abilities improved the effectiveness of 「Grasp Heart」even further. However, it meant that he could not gauge the strength of that knight.

"—Since I've come all this way, I might as well run a few experiments. You shall be a test subject."

Momonga's necromancy spells were augmented, but the simple attack spells he used were not very destructive. In addition, since metal armor was weak against electrical effects in YGGDRASIL, most people enchanted their plate armor with electricity resistance. Therefore, Momonga deliberately chose to attack his foe with an electrical spell to see how much damage it would do.

Because his aim was not to kill his opposition, there was no need to enhance its effects with skills.

"「Dragon Lightning 」."

A dragon-shaped bolt of white electricity crackled around Momonga's arms and shoulders. The bolt flared brightly as it instantly surged out at the knight Momonga was pointing at.

The knight who had been electrocuted by the dragon-shaped bolt shone brilliantly for an instant. Miserable his death was, it was still a beautiful sight.

The light in his eyes faded, and the knight collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The body beneath the armor was charred and gave off a vile stench.

Momonga had been planning to follow up with another spell, but he felt silly as he noted the weakness of the knights.

"Pathetic... He died so easily..."

"Are you sure, mein Creator?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

He simply replied back to his NPC, whom he personally created him.

To Momonga, the 5th tier 「Dragon Lightning 」was speak spell. When hunting level one hundred players, Momonga would usually cast spells of the eight tier and higher. In theory, level 200 players would also be affected by eight tier and higher spells. Magic of the 5th tier and below would never see use.

Now that he knew the knights were weak enough to be finished off by 5th tier magic, Momonga's tension vanished in an instant. Of course, it could be that these two knights were especially weak among their kind, but still, it was a great relief. Still, the plan to retreat with magic had not changed.

These knights might be focused on offense. In YGGDRASIL, a blow to the neck counted as a critical hit and dealt extra damage, but in the real world, it might well be fatal.

Instead of relaxing, both Momonga and Pandora's Actor raised their guard. It would be foolish to die because they were careless. Next, Momonga ought to continue testing his powers.

Momonga activated one of his skills.

"—「Create Mid Tier Undead: Death Knight 」."

This was one of Momonga's skills, which could create various undead. The Death Knight in question was Momonga's favorite undead monster, which he used as a meat shield.

It was roughly level 35, but although its attack power was only comparable to level 25 monster, its defensive power was very good, equivalent to a level 40 monster. That said, monsters of that level were useless to Momonga for the most part.

However, the Death Knight had two very important skills.

One of them was the ability to draw away enemy attacks. The was that just once, they could survive any attack with one HP. Momonga liked using the Death Knights as shields because of these two skills.

This time round, he was also looking forward to using the Death Knight in a similar way.

In YGGDRASIL, when he used his skills to create undead, they would appear out of the sky in their summoner's vicinity. However, things seemed different in this world.

A cloud of black fog appeared. The cloud headed straight for the body of the knight whose heart had been crushed and then enveloped it.

The mist slowly expanded, and melded with knight's body. After that, the knight wobbled before slowly rising to its feet like a zombie.

"Eeeeek!"

Momonga heard the shrieks from the sisters, but he had no time to worry about them. After all, he was quite surprised at the sight before his eyes.

Pandora's Actor was also surprised at this as well.

With a wet, dripping sound, several rills of black ichor oozed out from between the gaps in the knight's helmet. It must have come from the knight's mouth.

The black fluid flowed out without end, until it covered the knight's entire body. It looked like a human being that had been swallowed by a slime. Completely surrounded by the black liquid, the knight's body began to twist and change.

After several seconds, the black liquid fell off the body of what was now a Death Knight.

It was now 2.3 meters tall, and its body was correspondingly bulkier. It no longer resembled a human being, but a wild beast.

In its left hand it held a large shield that covered 3/4 of its body —a tower shield — and in its right hand it held a wavy-bladed flamberge. This 130 centimeter long weapon was intended to be held with both hands, but the massive Death Knight could easily wield it with one hand. A dreadful red-black aura covered the flameberge's blade, which pulsed like a heart.

Its massive body was sheathed in a suit of full plate armor made from some black armor, and and it was covered in red tracery that resembled blood vessels. The armor was also covered in spikes as far as anyone can see, and it looked like a man-shaped incarnation of brutality. Demonic horns sprang from his head, and one could see its rotted face underneath them. Twin points of hateful, murderous light shine in the eye sockets of its ghastly visage.

Its tattered black cape blowing in the wind, the Death Knight awaited Momonga's orders. The way it carried itself was truly deserving of the name "Death Knight".

Much like he had with the Moonlight Wolves he had summoned, Momonga used his mental bond with his summoned monster and pointed to the corpse of the knight who had been slain by the 「Dragon Lightning 」.

"Exterminate all the knights who are attacking this village."

 **"Yes, I will serve and kill for my master!"** It roared.

So mighty was its cry that it shook the air, and it was so filled with bloodlust that everyone who heard it broke out in goosebumps.

The Death Knight ran, as fast as lightning. The way it charged forward without any hesitation was like a hunting hound that had scented its quarry. The undead creature's hatred for the living made it sensitive to the prey that it would soon slaughter.

As the Death Knight's silhouette shrank into the distance, Momonga was keenly aware of a difference between this new world and YGGDRASIL.

That was "Independence".

Originally, the Death Knight should have stayed by its summoner's side awaiting his orders and attack any enemies which approached. Yet, it had disregarded that order and launched an attack of its own accord. This difference might be a fatal vulnerability in an unknown situation like this one.

At a loss for words, Momonga scratched his head and sighed.

"It ran off... To think a shield would abandon the person it was supposed to protect. Then again, I did tell it to do so."

"Yes, it is, mein Creator. But it's also surprising that it can talk as well, I think when you summoned it with a corpse it might have gained the intellectual capacity of the corpse you used on."

"I'm surprised you already figured it out so fast."

"It's only a theory, mein Creator. If it's true, I suggest that we should try another one to see if the results were the same as before."

Momonga nodded as he reproached for his miscalculation.

Although he could make a quite a few more Death Knights, it was best to conserve limited-use abilities while he was not sure of the enemy and the situation. Still, Momonga was a back-line mage. Even though his level 200, he's still a back-liner by heart. Without a front-liner to run interference for him, he was effectively naked.

Even though Pandora's Actor was here. He would need another defender. This time, he would try making one without a corpse.

And he got two low level monsters to do the job.

"「Twin Summon Magic: Principality of Observation」."

Two angels, wreathed in holy light, appeared on the sky, as they descended from the heavens to heed the call of their summoner.

The Principality of Observation was an angel in full body armor. It held a mace in one hand and a round shield in the other. A garment that looked like a long skirt covered its legs.

The reason why Momonga had chosen this type of angel was because of its special skill. In accordance with its name, the Principality of Observation had the ability to raise its defense of all its allies. However, this ability lost its effect once the angel moved, so the wise decision would be to order the Principality of Observation to hold its ground.

He summoned two of them. Momonga had used his mental bond with his newly summoned monsters.

"Principality of Observation! I order you to support the Death Knight who is now currently heading towards the village against the attacking knights."

 **"Yes, my master."** one of the two Principality of Observations spoke.

"And you. Stay here and be our shield for the time being."

 **"I'll do as you say, O Great Lord of Death."**

 _Since when did I ever told them to call me that? And they can talk as well?!_

In response to Momonga's orders, one of the Principality of Observations suddenly spread its wings and flapped, propelling itself heading towards the village.

In light of what of was happening now, Pandora's Actor spoke:

"At least we now know that the Death Knight wasn't the only one, mein Creator."

"Indeed."

"Mein Creator, what should we do about these girls?"

Pandora's Actor gazed at the girls.

"Ah, yes, indeed."

The girls shrank under Momonga's unyielding gaze, and tried their best to make themselves as small as possible. Perhaps it was because of the Death Knight, or because they heard its roars, or because they were simply afraid.

Perhaps it was all of them.

Momonga felt that he should show his intention to help and reached his hand out to the elder sister, but the two girls seemed to have gotten the wrong impression.

The elder sister wet herself, followed by the younger sister.

"..."

The stench of ammonia filled the surrounding air. Fatigue washed over Momonga like a tide. He had no idea what to do, Pandora's Actor could help, and so Momonga decided to continue to trying to express his good intentions.

"...You seemed to be hurt."

As a working man, Momonga had long since trained up his ability to ignore things.

Momonga, who had pretended not to notice, open his inventory and withdrew a backpack from it. Although it was called an Infinite Backpack, it could only hold up to five hundred kilos of items.

YGGDRASIL players commonly put their immediate-use items into this bag, because the items within the bag could be assigned to hotkeys in the game interface.

After digging through several of these Backpacks, he found a small vial containing a red potion.

It was a Minor Healing Potion.

This potion could restore 50 HP, and beginners in YGGDRASIL frequently used it. However, Momonga as he was now had no need for this item at all. This was because this potion healed through positive energy. To an undead being like Momonga, this potion was like a damaging poison. However, not every member of the guild was undead, so Momonga kept some of these items just in case.

"Drink it."

Momonga offered the red potion. The elder sister face was pale with fright as she replied:

"I-I'll drink it! Just please spare my little sister—"

"Nee-chan!"

He watched the little sister weeping as she tried to stop her elder sister, while the elder sister apologized to her little sister while taking the potion. Their reactions confused Momonga.

After all, he had saved them in a tight spot, and had even offered them a potion. Why were they acting like this in front of him? What was going on here?

 _They don't trust me at all. Even though I wanted to leave them to their fate at first, I ended up being their saviour in the end. They should be crying and hugging me in gratitude. Isn't this sort of thing common in manga and movies._

Where did he go wrong? Could it be that being instantly accepted is a privilege of the beautiful?

Just as a baffled expression dawned on Momonga's fleshless face, a calm and polite voice said:

"Mein Fräulein, my master had offered you a healing potion out of the kindness of his heart... I believe you should accept it. It's not blood nor poison, but a potion that can heal your wound on back. Hopefully, you will consider accepting his offer without any fear or doubt it."

Pandora's Actor made a gentle pose, like a polite gentleman offering his hand to a beautiful maiden. Even though his face was like a mask, the elder sister made a small blush at the surprising politeness Pandora's Actor was giving.

Momonga looked at his creation with his jaw wide open. It was then he remembered something.

 _Oh yeah. I forgot that I put some polite manners in his background lore._

It would explain how Pandora's Actor was acting like this. He might've used it for this kind of situation.

Having seen Pandora's Actor was using his good stuff other than his usual one, it was still surprising that he made a gentlemanly manner. He should thank him later on.

Momonga smiled as he offered the potion once more.

"It is as he said. This is a healing potion. It is harmless to drink."

Momonga's words were gentle, but backed with an adamant will.

The elder sister dumbly nodded and she gulped the potion down. After that, a look of surprise filled her face.

"No way..."

She touched her back, then wiggled her body in disbelief and patted her back.

"The pain is gone?"

"Y-Yes, it is..."

The elder sister nodded stiffly, to indicate that it did not hurt.

It would seem that the minor wounds on her were easily remedied by a low tier healing potion.

Now that he had their trust, Momonga continued by asking a question. There was no way around that question, and depending on the answer, it would affect his future movements.

"Do you know magic?"

"Yes, yes I do. The alchemist who comes by our village... My friend, knows how to use magic."

"... Is that so. Well, that makes things easy to explain. I am a magic caster."

Momonga then cast his spells:

"「Anti-Life Coconn」,「Wall of Protection From Arrows」."

A dome of light, roughly 3 meters in radius, surrounded the sisters. The second spell was not visible to the naked eye, but there was a subtle change in the air. He had originally planned to use an anti-magic spell as well, but he did not know what sort of magic existed in this world, so he did not do so for the time being. If the enemy had magic casters, then that was just their bad luck.

"I have cast a defensive spell that keeps living creatures from coming near you, as well as a spell that weakens the effectiveness of shooting attacks. As long as you stay here, you should be safe. Ah, just in case, I will give you these as well."

After calmly explaining the effects of the magic to the two dumbfounded sisters, Momonga withdrew two pairs of unremarkable-looking horns. Apparently, the magic did not obstruct them, since they sailed straight through the forcefield as Momonga tossed them to the sister' side.

"One of these are called the Horns of the Goblin General, and the other is called the Call of the Oni. If you blow them, Goblins and a Oni —in other words, monsters —will appear. Order them to protect you."

In YGGDRASIL, electronic data crystals dropped from monsters could be slotted into almost any sort of item (apart from certain expendable items), in order to create just about any item a player could think of. In addition, there were certain artifacts which could not be created by players and had fixed stats. These horns were examples of them.

Momonga had used one of the horns before, and at that time it managed to summon a Goblin Troop, 12 or so Goblins with some measure of ability. There were two Goblin Archers, one Goblin Mage, a Goblin Cleric, two Goblin Riders and their wolf mounts, as well as one Goblin.

Although it was called a Goblin Troop, their numbers were few and they were very weak.

This was a trash item for Momonga. The surprise was why he had not disposed of it yet. Still Momonga felt quite smart for being able to put this trash item to good use.

Another good point about this item was that the summoned Goblins would linger until they were killed instead of vanishing after a while. That could at least buy the girls some time.

As for the other horn, Momonga had managed to summon a Japanese-style Oni and has many Job Classes that vary on each summon. Examples were, Samurai, Shinobi, Rifleman, and so on. Its level was around 40-50. The horn could only summon one per summoning.

This was one of the more powerful trash item for Momonga. Although it was a bit more overkill to give such a powerful item to a villager like her. The surprise was he was still unsure how capable summoning creatures items can fare in this world.

Like the Goblin horn, the summoned Oni would linger until it was killed instead of vanishing after a certain time.

As Momonga finished, he turned to leave, bringing Pandora's Actor and the Principality of Observation with him as he headed to the village. However, after a few steps, a couple of voice called out to him.

"Ah... Th-Thank you for saving us!"

"Thank you!"

Those words stopped Momonga in his tracks, and he turned around, he saw the two girls, their eyes brimming with tears as they thanked him. He simply replied:

"... Think nothing of it."

"And, and this may be thick-skinned of us but, but you are the only one we can count on. Please! Please save our parents!"

"All right. If they're still alive, I will rescue them."

The sisters' eyes went wide as they heard Momonga's words. Their faces reflected the disbelief in their hearts, but soon they came to their senses and lowered their heads in thanks.

"Th-Thank you! Thank you very much! And, and may we know..."

The girl's voice trailed off, and then she asked in a mumble:

"May we know your name...?"

Momonga almost responded by reflex, but in the end he did not state his name.

The name "Momonga" was that of the guild master of the now disbanded Ainz Ooal Gown. Then what should he call himself now? What was the name of the last man who remained in the Great Tomb of Nazarick?

Momonga looked at Pandora's Actor. His only creation, that is the part of Ainz Ooal Gown, had stayed with him after the shut down of YGGDRASIL even after the guild was disbanded.

So now, what he should call himself? What name should he use to tell them? What greater meaning is to tell the "Name" itself?

And then he remembered, the name that bore the ranks throughout the Nine Realms of YGGDRASIL. The name that was called forth amongst his comrades. The name that was so feared amongst the enemies of that name. The name that had been born after the Great Tomb of Nazarick was conquered by those of the Original Nine. The name that was so well known.

— _Ah, that's it._

"... Remember my name well."

The winds starts to blow, in response of the tense anticipation of the calling forth of the name that will soon be known to this world. A name that will bring prosperity to those who will become allies of that name. Destruction to those who declares themselves as enemies to that name. An eternal legend shall be born by that name. And it shall be remembered for as long its radiance shall continue to shine forth even the brightest of stars!

With an aura exceeded that of the gods. A voice, greater than thunder. An authority with supreme power!

"For I am, _Ainz Ooal Gown!"_

* * *

 **OMG! 31 Pages and 12k words! A new record! Ahhhhh! It has been so long and continuing writing this brings me goosebumps.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter. Be sure to review and PM me for suggestions and ideas.**

 **Hope you like this chapter.**

 **gabrielchiong11 out.**


	6. Chapter 4

**Hellooooo people! gabrielchiong11 here and I'm back for another chapter of this fantastic story!**

 **Before I begin, I would like tell y'all for the support you guys give me, and I appreciate it as well.**

 **I've decided, a few months ago, that I'll posting three chapters by the time Christmas Month will arrive. And that folks is December 09 here in this tropical country that has been constantly harassed by storms and tropical depressions in this time of year, and I meant in times around September up to December.**

 **One final thing, Merry Christmas to all of you my readers! Hohohoho, Merry Christmas!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the the elements used in this story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **"OOOOOHHHHH!"**

 **"We have come here to oppress thee!"**

Two mighty roars shattered the air.

It was a signal for a slaughter to become a massacre of a different sort.

In the blink of an eye, the hunters become the hunted.

Londes Di Gelapo had probably cursed his gods more times in the past ten seconds than he had in the rest of his life. If the gods really did exist, then they should defeat that evil being right now. Londes was a faithful man — why had the gods abandoned him? Why they had sent a high-level angel to accompany such abomination?

The gods did not exist.

In the past, he had looked down those people who did not believe in the gods as fools. After all, If the gods did exist, how could priests work their magic? And now, he realised that he was the foolish one.

The monsters before them — a Death Knight and the Principality of Observation, for want of a better word — drew closer.

He took two steps back in response, trying to get away from it.

A shrill creaking noise came from his armor, and the sword he clutched in both hands was trembling uncontrollably. He was not the only one; the other 36 Knights surrounding the Death Knight and the Angel were all acting the same way.

Although they were filled with fear, none of them ran. This was not courage — the grinding of their teeth could attest to that. If they could, they would ran as fast and as far as they could.

It was because they knew there was no escape.

Londes' eyes shifted, pleading for help.

The square was at the center of the village, where Londes and his men had gathered 60 or so villagers. They looked fearfully at Londes and his men, while a group of children were hiding behind a wooden watchtower.

Some of the children held sticks, but none of them was in a fighting stance. It was all could do not to drop their sticks.

During Londes' attack on the village, they had chased the villagers to the center square. They searched the houses, and then, in order to root out anyone who was hiding in the cellars, they poured in alchemical oils and set them on fire.

There were four knights standing guard around the village with bows, and their job was to shoot down anyone who tried to escape the village. They had done this several times now, and it could be said that they were old hands at this sort of thing.

The massacre had taken a fair bit of time, but it had been successful, and they had gathered the surviving villagers into one place. After that, they would release some of the prisoners as bait.

 _It should have been like that, but—_

Londes still remembered that moment.

The sight of Erion and Barion flying through the air, after the last few villagers fled into the square.

It should have been impossible. Nobody knew what was going on. How could they understand the reason why two trained, grown men in full plate armor — which still had some weight even if it was lightened by magic — could fly through the air like a ball.

After soaring about 7 meters through the air, they fell to the earth with a thunderous crash and lay still.

A bone-chilling monster stood where Erion had been. The hair-raising undead being called a Death Knight lowered the tower shield that had bashed Erion and stood before them.

An Angel floated where Barion had been. This majestic-looking angel being, called the Principality of Observation, lowered its mace that had bashed Barion and hovered before them.

This was when their despair began.

"Aiiiiieee!"

Their panicked squeals echoed through the air. One of the men huddled together with his comrades could not bear the oppressive terror and fled with a scream.

Under these extreme circumstances. It was only natural that — when stretched to the breaking point — people would snap. However, among all of the fleeing man's comrades, not one of them joined him. The reason was that soon to be evident.

A black gale whirled past the field of Londes' vision.

The Death Knight's body was larger than a normal human's, but it's nimble grace was far beyond anyone's expectations.

The fleeing man only managed to take three steps.

Just about he was about to take his fourth step, an arc of silver brilliance cleaved his body in two. The bisected left and right halves of his body collapsed in opposite directions. A sour stench filled the air as his pink internal organs spilled out.

 **"Yes! You shall die from your cowardice!"** the blood-covered Death Knight roared as he swung his sword.

It was a roar of joy.

The look of delight was unmistakable, even on his rotted face. As an overwhelming superior slaughterer, he savored the despair and terror of the pitiful humans who could not even survive a single one of his blows.

Nobody dared to attack, though they had swords in hand.

At first, they had tried an attack, though they were afraid. But even those blades which had made it past their foe's defenses could not strike a telling blow through the Death Knight's armor.

In contrast, the Death Knight did not use his sword, but sent Londes flying with a shield bash, and he did so without using enough force to kill.

The Angel did not move, but then again. If this Angel was truly the Principality of Observation, then it might be responsible for the increase of defense of the Death Knight's armor, and the lack of success in penetrating its armor.

It was clearly toying with them, given the way it did not use its full strength. It was plain to see that the Death Knight wanted to enjoy the dying struggles of these humans.

The Death Knight only dealt fatal blows in earnest when the knights tried to escape.

The first knight to run was Ririk. He was a nice guy but a bad drunk. His limbs where chopped off, followed by his head.

After seeing two deaths, the other knights knew the score, so they did not dare to flee.

Their attacks were ineffective, and they would never killed if they tried to run.

The only thing to do was wait their turn to be tortured to death.

Although there was no way to see their faces below the full helms they wore, everyone present was keenly aware of their fate. The walls of grown men reduced to children echoed throughout the village. These men who had always oppressed the weak had not thought that one day, they would be on the receiving end of that treatment.

"Oh, god, please save me..."

"Oh god..."

After hearing these cries for salvation, the strength left Londes' legs and he almost fell to his knees. He loudly cursed the gods — or was is it a prayer to them?

"You, you lot, go hold those monsters back!" a desperate knight shouted. He knew that his fate was sealed. His words sounded like an off-key psalm.

The man who spoke was standing between the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation. The way he was stumbling back on his tiptoes to back away from the corpse of his comrade was quite comical.

Londes frowned as he looked on that man in his pathetic state. It was hard to tell who had spoken those words because their helmets covered their faces and their voices were distorted by fear. Still, he knew only one man would speak like that.

 _...Captain Belius._

Londes' frown deepened.

Overcome by his lewd desires, he had tried to rape a village girl and then sought help from others after he got a fight with her father. After he was pulled off the other man he vented his anger by stabbing the father with his sword. That was the kind of man he was. However, his family was quite wealthy in their country, and he joined his unit because of his family's riches.

Everything had gone wrong because he had been made as their leader.

"I'm not someone who should die here! All of you, hurry up and protect me! Be my shields!"

Nobody moved. He might have been appointed their leader, but he was not popular at all. Nobody would throw their lives away for a man like this.

However, the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation responded to his shouting, and they slowly turned to face Belius.

 **"Well, well, what do have here? A coward who have been appointed as a leader of this band of cowardly knights, how fortunate."**

The Death Knight, his features showing like a hunter who grinned as he found a nice prey to hunt, spoke with glee.

 **"Not only that, he hath the most impure heart out of all his men. Our Lord will be most please if we kill him."**

The Principality of Observation said, his tone was clearly stated at what he said was true. Not only that, he clearly wanted Belius to die either by his, or by the Death Knight's, hands.

"Aiiiiiieeeeee—!"

The only thing praiseworthy about him was that he could make so much noise while standing in front of the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation.

Just as Londes began to respect this odd quality of Belius', he heard the man shriek in terror.

"Money, I'll give you money! Two hundred gold pieces! No, five hundred gold pieces!"

Those were considerable amounts he was talking about. However, right now, it was like telling them he would pay them to jump off a 500 meter cliff.

Although, nobody responded, one person —no, half a person moved as though in reply to him.

"Uboooooarrr..."

The right half of the bisected corpse gripped Belius' ankle firmly. The bloody gargling from its mouth hardly sounded like words.

"—Ogyaaaaaahhhhh! ! ! !" Belius screamed in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. The onlooking knights and villagers were frozen in fear, their skin covered in goosebumps.

Squire Zombies.

In YGGDRASIL, creatures killed by the Death Knight would become an undead of comparable power, haunting the place where they were killed. According to the game's rules, those damned souls who fell to the Death Knight's blade would become it's slaves for all eternity.

Belius stopped screaming, and fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut, facing the sky. He must have passed out. The Death Knight drew closer to the defenseless man and stabbed his wavy-bladed flamberge down.

Belius' body twitched, and—

"Gu-Guwaaaaaaargh!"

Woken by the incredible pain, Belius screamed, "Leh, leh me guh! ! ! ! ! Ah beggehg yeh! ! ! ! ! Ah duh anythuh! ! ! ! ! ! !"

 **"Then die already!"**

Using both hands, Belius desperately grabbed the flamberge that had already penetrated his body, but the Death Knight paid his futile struggles no heed and worked the flamberge like a saw. His flesh and his armor were cruelly torn open, and flesh blood flew everywhere.

"—Aah—eeeh—ah gib ya munni, leh, leh meh guh—"

 **"No money can save someone the likes of you from this. This is your judgment, O foolish knight."** the Angel said, his tone solemn and firm to his word.

Belius' body shuddered, and then breath his last. Only then was the Death Knight satisfied, and he stepped away from Belius' corpse.

"No... No... Please, no..."

"Oh god!"

Their screams came from seeing the ghastly sight before them. If they ran, they would die swiftly, but if they stayed, they would die horribly. They knew that perfectly well, but still, they could not bring themselves to move.

"—Get a grip!"

Londes' shout tore through their wailing. The world was filled with silence, as though time was standing still.

"—Fall back! Sound the horn for the horsemen and archers to come here! The rest of you, do your best to buy some time for the Hornblower! I'd rather not die like that, if you don't mind! Now move!"

Everyone moved in an instant.

There was no sign of their earlier panic. Everyone moved in silent unison, like a raging waterfall.

Their mechanical obedience to their orders without thinking created a miracle. There was no way they could move so immaculately again.

The knights each did what they were supposed to do. They had to protect the knight who would blow the horn and signal the others.

One of the soldiers who had taken several steps back lowered his sword and withdrew his horn from his bag.

In an instant, the Death and the Principality of Observation charged, as though reacting to the horn being taken out. Everyone was shocked. Could it be that the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation wanted to destroy their means of escape so they could kill them to the last man?

The flood of darkness and the visage of light drew closer and closer, and everyone knew that stepping forward to try and stop them was certain death. However, the knight's still climbed over each other to block the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation one after the other. Their fear was wiped away by an even greater fear and surged forward to become obstacles.

Every time their shield moved, a knight or two went flying through the air.

Every time their weapons flashed, a knight or two were either bisected, or smacked away by the Angel.

"Dezun! Morett! Behead the fallen! Hurry, before they came back as monsters!"

The named knights hurriedly ran toward their murdered comrades.

Their shields swung, and two knights were thrown to the air. One of them was bisected, and the other was crushed by the Angel's mace.

Six men had lost their lives in the blink of an eye. Though Londes was still gripped with fear, he readied his sword against the coming of the Whitish, jet-black storm, like a martyr preparing to give his life for his faith.

"Ohhh!"

It might have been a meaningless gesture, but Londes did not intend to wait for death. Giving voice to a battlecry, he swung his sword with all his strength at the oncoming Death Knight and the Principality of Observation.

Perhaps it was because of his circumstances, but Londes' muscles broke their limit and surprised him. It might have been the best blow Londes had ever struck in his life.

The Death Knight swung his flamberge, including the Principality of Observation's mace, as well.

In an instant, the world before Londes suddenly heard a loud, resounding explosion—

And he saw the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation clashed their weapons. Their equal force made his entire body flew through the air due to the shockwave they produced.

Just then, at that moment, the horn rang out—

* * *

Momonga—Ainz raised his head as the sound of the horn reached him from the direction of the village.

The area around him was covered with the corpses of the knights who had been standing guard here. The stink of blood hung heavily in the air, but Ainz paid it no heed as he ran his experiments. Just then, he chided himself for getting his priorities wrong.

Ainz cast down the sword in his hand. The sword which had originally belonged to a knight fell to the ground, its gleaming, razor-sharp edge now stained with dirt.

"...Well, I've said it before, but this physical reduction is quite something."

"Ainz Ooal Gown-sama."

"...Ainz will do, Pandora's Actor."

Ainz's request to be called by a truncated version of his name threw Pandora's Actor into confusion.

"...I am sorry, Ainz-sama. But may I ask, am I really allowed to do that? After all, would it not be disrespectful to shorten the name of the leader of the Forty One Supreme Beings, especially if it is also the name of Nazarick's rulers?"

Ainz did not that it was a big deal. However, his words meant he respected the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, which pleased Ainz. Therefore, his reply was phrased in a gentle tone:

"It's fine, Pandora's Actor. Until we find out why we're sent here, and what was our purpose here as well as finding some clues to our current predicament. In light of this, I permit you to shorten it."

"Is that so...? I understand... Very well, but please let me address you with the appropriate respect."

He paused, as if waiting for a moment to—

"Then, mein Schöpfer, Herr Ainz! Herrscher von Nazarick! Alle Heil Ainz Ooal Gown!"

—Perform a overdramatic poses and made a Nazi-like salute.

Ainz resisted the urge to facepalm at the embarrassment which Pandora's Actor had performed just now—

 _Why can't he be just a normal person for once?! Why did I even input those moves in his system anyway?!_

No matter how much he gotten used to having Pandora's Actor as a companion. He would never forget the black history, which is Pandora's Actor, who is the direct creation of his chuunibyou self.

But deep inside, he thought, _Well, at least he's being true to himself._ And inwardly smiled at the thought of it, though it was kinda embarrassing to see him like that; it was more likely to be one way or another to show ones feelings. It was one thing that he, as a creator, was proud of.

In addition, since he was doing it alone with him and the summoned Principality of Observation. There was nothing worry about, it's not like someone was watching them... Right?

"But may I ask, could it be possible for someone, other than me, who's allowed to address you in such a way?"

"Yes, and no. Having someone address me by such a long name all the time would be annoying, an exception will be made if we meet someone who has high authority over this land. So I would like to have everyone, under my command, to do the same thing. That also includes you, Principality of Observation, as well as the Death Knight and the other Principality of Observation."

 **"Yes, my Lord."** the Angel bowed.

After that, in an uneasy voice, Ainz asked:

"...Pandora's Actor, what do you think of the name I chose?"

"If I may be rather blunt, mein Schöpfer, I think it fits you, in your capacity as the one who led the united forces of the 41 Supreme Beings."

"...Of course, this name was intended to represent the 41 of us, and this also includes me as your maker, I as Momonga. However, I ignored the feelings of my comrades, and took that name for myself in whim. How do you think they would feel about that?"

"...To be fair... I feel that some of the Supreme Beings who probably left us might object to that name being used by the one who stayed behind, mein Schöpfer. However, I feel they are not here, so if you wish to use that name, all I feel it should be a wise decision to choose it, mein Schöpfer."

Pandora's Actor lowered his head after he finished speaking, and Ainz remained silent.

The phrase "left us" swirled in his mind like a vortex.

His past companions had left him for their own reasons. YGGDRASIL was just a game, and they could not abandon their real lives for a game. Momonga felt the same way too. Yet, could it really be said that he — who had been fixated on Ainz Ooal Gown and the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick — had not been suppressing his anger toward his former comrades?

 _They left me behind._

"...That might be so, but it might not be. Human emotions are a complicated matter, and there is no right answer. Raise your head, Pandora's Actor. I understand what you feel. All right, it's decided... This shall be my name. Until my comrades object, I shall be Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Understood. The thought that mein Schöpfer... And mein vater would bear this glorious name, ah~ it feels so poetic to hear about it. I should do a pose for it as well."

 _Mein vater... Ah._

The uneasy Ainz decided not to worry about this for now.

"...Is that so? I'm glad to hear that."

"Then... Ainz-sama, would you mind letting me ask a question? Just one, please."

 _What is he up to?_

"...What is it? You may ask your question."

Knowing that his creation will not do anything stupid like betrayal or something sinister, he decided to let him ask his question.

"Danke, mein Schöpfer. How did you summon an angel with so much positive karma levels when the requirements to summon such a creature would be impossible for those who have so much negativity in their karma levels?"

"...Ah, good question, how indeed?"

He looked at the angel. He had been wondering how an angel like the Principality of Observation would be summoned by an "absolute evil" being like him.

Suddenly, and surprisingly, a floating board appeared in front Ainz. And the supposed answer was in front of him.

 _Hmm... Let's see, here..._

It says:

* * *

 _ **Skill:**_ _ **「**_ _ **Light Wisdom**_ _ **」**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Search: Specified Ability.**_

 _ **Lore: When the karma levels of an Overlord has been recognized as "absolute" or "pure" evil. The Skill,**_ _ **「**_ _ **Light Wisdom**_ _ **」**_ _ **, allows the Overlord to temporarily change his karma alignment to that of a positive one. Although the positive levels that the Overlord change may vary due to his level. The following can be listed as:**_

 _ **Level 100—Neutral**_

 _ **Level 120—Neutral-Good~**_

 _ **Level 140—Good~**_

 _ **Level 160—Greater Good~**_

 _ **Level 180—Pure Good~**_

 _ **Level 200—Extreme Good~**_

 _ **The higher the positive karma is, the more effective Faith and Holy-based spells is, including summoning of Holy-based creatures. Charismatic characteristics the Overlord has can be affected as long as this skill is active. However, the only disadvantage there is, the Overlord cannot summon and create undead or other necromantic abilities while this skill is still active, except when the Overlord has already summoned or created. They can still control the undead with their necromantic abilities still intact.**_

 _ **Ability and skills:**_ _ **「**_ _ **Angelic Summoning**_ _ **」**_ _ **,**_ _ **「**_ _ **Holy Magic**_ _ **」**_ _ **,**_ _ **「**_ _ **Faith Magic**_ _ **」**_

 _ **Requirements: Must have**_ _ **「**_ _ **Light Wisdom**_ _ **」**_ _ **.**_

* * *

After reading the lore several times in order to make sense of it. Ainz had only made one of it.

 _...Wow... I must be some sort of an OP shit of an MC like in one of those Light Novel where the MC is OP as hell... Whoa, where did that came from?_

Regardless, it would be that this ability would be useful in some cases. Like, having more resistance against Faith and Holy-based attributes that are effective against an undead being like him. Heh, by the sound of it, it seems he's some sort of god here with these kinds of abilities and skills since coming to this world.

"Uh... Mein Schöpfer... Ainz-sama... Are you there...?"

Pandora's Actor's whispered voice was heard through Ainz's nonexistent ears. It was enough that it broke out of Ainz's thought.

"...Sorry about that, Pandora's Actor. I was spacing out for awhile, no need to worry about me."

"Are you sure?"

Ainz nodded at that question.

"Yes, I'm sure... I almost forgot, our purpose was to save the village, am I right?"

Pandora's Actor nodded in reply.

However, there was a problem. The parents that the sisters had asked him to save were already dead.

As he thought of their corpses, he scratched his head.

The sight of their bodies reminded him of someone dear had suddenly died. There was pity, sadness and anger. Although it might have been the skill, 「Light Wisdom 」, influencing his way of thinking in contrast to earlier when he discovered the village.

He experimented it by disabling the ability through mere thought, and he succeeded without fail. By the time he disabled it, he discovered that his view changed from someone dear had suddenly died to that of a dead insect by the roadside. In contrast to the influence of 「Light Wisdom 」, there was no pity, no sadness, no anger.

Thinking about it, he should rather put his alignment to Neutral levels, in case there were times he had to see the perspectives of both absolute evil and absolute good in order to make decisions that will NOT lead to his downfall.

"Hm, well, let's going then. After all, I accidentally commanded the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation to clash each others weapons before the moment the horn was blown. Other than that, they seemed to be doing their job well."

"Ah, amazing. To think both an angel summon and an undead that you created are working together, makes it seem someone of greater power had let two opposite beings work together as a team. The thought of it would make people feel fun to those who believed it."

The angel summon and undead made by Ainz's magic and his skills were stronger than ordinary monsters of their kind due to Ainz's class and skills. Naturally, the same applied to the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation just summoned and created. However, it was only level 35 and 22 respective monsters, and it was nothing in comparison to the monsters which required EXP to create and summon, like Overlord Wiseman, Grim Reaper Thanatos, Arch-Seraphim, and Seraphim Empyrean.

The fact that they were still fighting until now meant the enemies were weak.

In other words, there was no danger.

He wanted to jump for joy when he thought about it, but he had to maintain the role of a dignified person, so Ainz quashed that thought. However, he clenched his fists tightly, under his robe.

"The enemies who attacked the village were too weak. Then, let us go and check the survivors."

Before Momonga set out, he realised that he had some things to do first.

To begin with, after he pulled out and deactivated the special effects of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown from his inventory. The malevolent aura which wreathed it vanished like a candle flame in the wind.

Next, he withdrew a full-face mask from his inventory. It was gaudily decorated, and its expression was hard to describe, being somewhere between crying and anger. It resembled a Balinese barong mask.

The mask looked creepy, but it had no special powers. It was a simple cosmetic item which did not contain a trace of data.

Only those who were logged onto YGGDRASIL for more than two hours, between 7 PM and 10 PM on Christmas Eve, would possess this mask — no, as long as they were in the game during that period of time, they would automatically receive it. It could be called a cursed item.

This mask was known as the **Mask of Jealous** , or the **Jealous Mask**.

Once, when he wore this mask, he was flooded by messages. "Has the company gone mad? We've been waiting for this. Nobody on our guild has it, can I PK him? I'm done with being a human being~" other such things in a certain large message board.

Then, he took out a pair of gloves. Their rough exterior betrayed the fact that they were crudely made and had no special properties.

These gloves were called **Jarngreipr** , and they were an armor item made by one of Ainz Ooal Gown's members for fun. Their only ability was to increase the wearer's strength.

He used these items to hide his skeletal appearance.

Naturally, there was a reason for this emergency camouflage. It was because Ainz realized he had made a fatal mistake.

Ainz was used to YGGDRASIL, and looking like a skeleton did not frighten him. However, to the people of this world, Ainz's appearance was synonymous to terror. Both the sisters who had nearly lost their lives and the fully armored knights were afraid of him.

For the time being, he would use magic items to change his appearance from a "dreadful monster" to "menacing magic caster". That ought to reduce how frightening he appeared. Then he thought about Pandora's Actor. In the end, he decided that Pandora's Actor looked like someone who was wearing a mask and strange magic items. Besides, his overall appearance looked completely normal, except for his hands, but he can make it an excuse of being as strange glove-like magic items.

Also, as for the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. He decided to keep it with him. Besides, it was not a problem for him, especially when he just brought it out from his inventory.

"Rather than beg your god for aid, you should not have massacred these people in the first place."

With that line which only an atheist could could come up with, Ainz looked away from the corpse, whose fingers were folded into a gesture of prayer, and cast a spell.

"「Fly」."

Ainz floated lightly into the sky, Pandora's Actor and the Principality of Observation soon followed him shortly afterwards.

"[Death Knight and Principality of Observation, if there are any surviving knights, leave them alive. They are useful to me.]"

"[ **Yes, my lord.** ]"

The Death Knight and the Principality of Observation sent their acknowledgement of Ainz's will back through the mental link they shared. It was easy to put the distant Death Knight and the Principality of Observation's words.

Ainz flew toward the place whence the horn blast had come, as quickly as he could. The wind lashed his body, because he had never flown this fast before in YGGDRASIL. The robe plastered to his body felt a little uncomfortable, but that passed swiftly.

He soon reached the sky above the village, and Ainz looked down on the landscape beneath him.

Ainz discovered that part of the village square was darkened, as though it had absorbed water. There were many corpses, a few trembling knights, and an unconscious one, as well as the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation.

Ainz counted the panting knights, who were too tired to move, including the one laying unconscious on the ground, Ainz used 「Life Essence」and was a tad bit surprised he was alive, but nonetheless unmoved by it. There were five in total, including the one unconscious. Though there were more than he expected, a few extra would not be a problem.

"Death Knight. Principality of Observation. That will be all for now."

His words seemed strangely incongruous with the surroundings, like he were buying something at a store. But to Ainz, this situation was as casual as going shopping.

He slowly descended to the ground, accompanied by Pandora's Actor and the other Principality of Observation.

The false knights, stared at Ainz with mouths agape. They had been hoping for a rescue, but what had come was the man responsible for everything, and his arrival shattered their hopes.

"Greetings, gentlemen. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown."

Nobody answered.

"If you throw down your arms, I can guarantee your lives. Of course, if you would rather fight—"

One sword was cast to the ground. It was shortly followed by the other swords being thrown down until there were four blades on the ground.

Nobody spoke during this time.

"...You seem quite tired. Although, don't you think your heads are held a bit too high before the master of the Death Knight and the Two Principality of Observations?"

The knights immediately prostrated themselves before him without a single sound.

They did not look like vassals before their lord so much as convicts awaiting execution.

"...I will permit you to leave with your lives. In exchange, tell your master — your owner — this."

Ainz used the effects of the 「Fly」spell to move near one of the knights, and then he removed his helmet with his right hand. He noted the man's exhausted eyes, and their gazes met through the mask.

"Do not make trouble around here. If you make a disturbance here, I will slay you with the rest of your country."

The trembling knight nodded as hard as he could. His frantic gesture looked quite comical.

"Get lost. And make sure to relay to this to your master."

He jerked his chin, and the knights fled like rabbits.

"...Ah, this act is tiring," Ainz quietly grumbled as he watched the knights run away.

If there were no villagers around, he might even have stretched his shoulders. Although he was doing the same thing with Pandora's Actor, playing the role of a dignified person was very tiring for an average salaryman like Ainz. Yet, until the curtains closed on this act of his, he had to wear yet another mask.

Ainz resisted the urge to sigh and walked toward the villagers. Pandora's Actor followed behind him, his every step accompanied by the whispers of the villagers.

"[—You two, clear up those zombies. And be sure to pick up that unconscious man. I'll interrogate him later when he wakes up]." Ainz ordered the Death Knight and the partnered Principality of Observation.

As Ainz drew closer to them, he could more clearly see the confusion and unease on the villagers' faces.

It was not that they were not happy at being rescued from the knights, but frightened by the person before them.

Ainz finally realised this. He was powerful, much more so than those knights, so he did not consider this situation from a weak person's point of view.

He decided to reflect on this, and pondered it quietly.

If he went too close to them, the outcome would be the opposite of what he was hoping for. Therefore, Ainz decided to stop at a distance from them, and spoke in a kindly tone.

"You have been saved. Be at ease."

"You, you are..."

One of the villagers was saying that, but even in the middle of speaking to Ainz, his eyes never left the Death Knight and his partner, the Principality of Observation.

"I saw someone attacking this village, so I came here to help."

"Ohh..."

As the noises spilled out, looks of relief dawned on the faces of the villagers. Even so, they could not be completely at ease.

 _What a pain. Should I try a different approach?_

Ainz decided to handle this in a way he did not like much.

"...That said, this was not for free. I expect a reward commensurate with the number of villagers whom I saved."

The villagers looked at each other. It would seem that they were worried about the money. However, their doubtful looks faded away. This crass demanded for money in exchange for salvation seemed to have allayed their suspicions somewhat.

"With, with the village in its present state..."

Ainz raised his hand to silence the other man before continuing.

"We'll discuss that later. I rescued a pair of sisters before I came here. I will go bring them over now. Can you wait here for me?"

He had to make sure those sisters were safe. Knowing that they will not talk nor give away his real identity. Of course, there was still a possibility that they really did give away his real identity in the future. All it takes to give them some trust and hopefully something that will prevent them from revealing his true identity.

Without waiting for them to reply, Ainz slowly headed off. At the same time, he thought about in some cases that he'll have to alter their memories if they were to show any signs of giving away his identity.

 _This world is truly strange and dangerous..._

* * *

The Village Chief had a house near the village square. Upon entering, one would be greeted by a large living room, with a kitchen off to one side. A rickety old table and several chairs occupied the center of the room.

Ainz surveyed the interior from where he was seated on one of the chairs.

The sunlight which shone through the windows illuminated every corner of the room, so he could see clearly inside even without darkvision.

He took a look at the woman in the corner of the kitchen, and the farming tools inside the house.

There were no manufactured products to be seen anywhere.

Just as Ainz thought that there would not be much in the way of technology here, Ainz realised that his thinking might be naive. Still, he was curious about what sort of science that a world with magic would develop.

Ainz shifted his hand across the old table to avoid the sunlight. His metal gauntlets were not heavy, but the shabbily-made table shook under its weight. The chair also creaked from Ainz sitting on it.

This was a textbook definition of the word "poverty."

Ainz leaned the Staff on the table to keep it out of people's way. The way the Staff reflected the sunlight in a brilliant display made the run-down old house appear to be some sort fairytale wonderland. He recalled the surprised expression on the villager's faces, the way their eyes went wide and they were lost for words.

A surge of pride came over Ainz as the villagers asked about the Staff which he and his comrades had painstakingly crafted. However, his delight was immediately suppressed to normal levels, which made Ainz furrow his nonexistent brows.

Frankly speaking, Ainz disliked this forced calming effect. That said, it was also true that allowing his emotions to run wild would make it difficult to solve the challenges ahead of him. With that in mind, Ainz prepared himself for his upcoming task.

He had to negotiate payment for rescuing the village with the Chief.

Of course, Ainz's real objective was to obtain information, and not money. However, directly asking for information would be strange.

While it would be fine in a small village like this, once the local lords found out, they would begin making their way to him. When they discovered that he knew nothing about this world, there was a high chance that they would try to use him.

 _Was I being too cautious about this?_

Ainz felt that this was like running across a busy road — a fatal accident could happen at any time. The fatal accident in this case meant encountering the might beings of this world.

Strength and weakness were two sides of the same coin.

For now, Ainz was stronger than everyone he had encountered in this village. However, that did not guarantee that he was stronger than everyone in this world. In addition, Ainz was now undead, and from the terrified reaction of the two girls, he could imagine that undead were not very well-received in this world. He had to be aware that since most humans would hate him, they might well attack him. Thus, he had to tread very carefully.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

—The Chief sat opposite to Ainz. His wife stood behind him.

His skin was dark and covered in wrinkles.

His body was very muscular, and it was obvious that those muscles had been honed through heavy labor. More than half of his hair was white.

Though his crudely made cotton shirt was stained by dirt, it did not stink.

The tired look on his face made Ainz think he was over 45 years old, but it was hard to tell, because he seemed to have grown older in the past half hour or so.

The Chief's wife was roughly at the same age as her husband.

She had been slim and beautiful once, but after long years of working on the farm, that beauty was nowhere to be seen. All that was left were wrinkles that covered her face.

Her shoulder-length black hair was mussed up, and she looked gloomy even under the direct sunlight.

"Please, help yourself."

The Village Chief placed a crude-looking cup on the table. Pandora's Actor was not here because he was patrolling the village.

Ainz raised his hand, refusing the cup of hot, steaming water.

He did not feel thirsty, nor could he remove the mask. However, he felt that he should have refused earlier, given that she had gone to so much trouble for him.

The trouble in question concerned the boiled water.

First, there was the matter of creating sparks with a flint. Then, she had to light wood shavings — or tinder — with those sparks. Then, she had to fan the sparks into flames, and when they were big enough, she had to transfer them to the stove. Then, she had to boil the water, and by the time that was finished, a long time had passed.

This was the first time Ainz had seen water by a hand-started fire, rather than through the use of electric kettle. He found it quite interesting. Back in his world, he had boiled water on a gas stove, so it was hardly as time-consuming as this.

This was also a good opportunity to gather some information on the technological level of this world. With in mind, Ainz spoke to the Chief again:

"I do apologize, especially since you went to all this trouble to prepare water for me."

"You are too kind. There is no need to apologize."

The fact that Ainz lowered his head to them (however slightly) filled the Village Chief and his wife with dread. They could not imagine the Death Knight and the Two Principality of Observations' summoner bowing his head to anyone.

However, it was hardly strange to Ainz. It was always a good idea to have a friendly attitude when negotiating with someone else.

Of course, he could simply have used 「Charm Person」to make them talk, followed by high-tier memory alteration spells, much like he had planned to do with the sisters. However, that was a last resort, because it took far too much MP.

Ainz recalled the feeling of spending MP; it felt like a strange fatigue, like he had lost something.

He experimented it a few days ago, with a Goblin, and/or sometimes an Ogre as his guinea pigs. Just altering 20 seconds of their memories had taken a considerable amount of MP.

"Then, let us cut to the chase and begin the negotiations."

"Yes. But before that... Thank you very much!"

The Chief bowed to Ainz, his head so low that it nearly touched the table. After that, his wife bowed as well.

"Without your help, we would all be dead by now. You have our deepest thanks!"

Ainz was quite surprised to recieve such unreserved gratitude.

When he looked back on his past life, he had never been thanked like this before, no, the sisters he had rescued earlier had acted that way too. Well, he had never saved some else's life before, so it was only to be expected.

That was the relic from his time as a human being — as Suzuki Satoru. Although he was somewhat embarrassed by this earnest appreciation, he certainly did not dislike it.

"Please, raise your heads. Like I said earlier, I did not help you for free."

"We know that, but still, we wish to thank you for rescuing us and many other villagers."

"...Then, paying me more will be good enough. Come, let us discuss it. You must have many things to do, Village Chief-dono."

"Nothing could be more important than spending time with our savior, but I understand."

The Chief slowly raised his head, and Ainz racked his nonexistent brains.

His goal here was to obtain information through conversation, rather than through magic.

— _What a pain._

He still remembered the tricks he had used as an office worker. How effective would they be here? Hopefully, at least half of them would be useful. After steeling himself against the possibility of failure, Ainz asked:

"...Let us get to the point. How much can you pay me?"

"We would not dare deceive our savior. I do not know how many silver and copper pieces we can gather if we do collect the from everyone, but I believe we can muster up at least 3,000 copper pieces."

 _I have no idea what that means,_ Ainz thought.

 _Asking them directly was a mistake. I should have tried a different approach. Besides, I was a lousy worker to begin with, and my job skills were pretty bad._

It sounded like a large amount, but without knowing the value of money, he could not tell if it was an appropriate sum or not. He had to avoid accepting too high or too low a sum, lest he reveal his ignorance.

No, he should have been relieved that they did not offer him "four heads of cattle" or something.

Just as he was about to sink into depression, his mental state immediately settled down. Ainz silently praised his undead body, and then he realized one more thing.

First, copper and silver pieces were the basic units of currency in this village. Second, there should be other forms of currency which were more or less valuable, but he was not confident that he could draw this information out of them.

He needed to learn the monetary value of these copper pieces. Without that knowledge, things would be troublesome in the future. However, not knowing the value of money was quite suspicious, and he wanted to keep a low profile while he learned more about this world.

That was why he was thinking as hard as he could to avoid making a bigger mistake.

"These small coins are hard to carry in large amounts. I'd like something in a bigger denomination, if you can manage it."

"Our sincerest apologies. If we could pay in gold pieces, we would. However... The fact is that our village does not use gold pieces..."

Ainz fought back the urge to sigh in relief.

The Chief's answer went in the direction that he was hoping for. Therefore, Momonga thought heavily about how he would continue steering the conversation, until it seemed like smoke would start coming out of his head.

"How about this: I plan to buy the product of this village for a reasonable price, so all you need to do is pay me in currency used for trading."

Ainz secretly opened his inventory under his robe, and withdrew a pair of gold coins from YGGDRASIL. One of the coins was decorated by the face of a woman, while the other coin had a face of a man. The former was a coin from after the huge update "Valkyrie's Downfall", while the latter was a coin from before the update.

Their values were the same, but they meant different things to Ainz.

The old coin was one that had followed Ainz ever since he had started playing YGGDRASIL until he had formed the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown. The new coins had been released with the update, when Ainz Ooal Gown had been in its golden age. His equipment was almost complete at that point, so those coins simply went to his inventory's coffers.

Ever since he had started out as a skeleton mage, he used his spells to defeat monsters roaming the world and gained gold coins, which floated in the air. He soloed dungeons, defeated vicious monsters within, and earned a huge pile of gold with great effort. After the members of Ainz Ooal Gown completed a dungeon, they sold the data crystals they collected in exchange, they received these gold pieces, which glowed so brightly...

But Ainz waved that topic aside.

He put the old coin away, and held up the new coin.

"...If I used this gold piece to buy something, what could I get for it?"

He placed the gold coin on the table. As one, the Village Chief and his wife stared, their eyes wide.

"This, this is!"

"This is currency used in a land far, far away. Can it be used here?"

"I should think so... Please wait a little."

Relief came over Ainz as he heard that the coin could be used. Then he watched as the Chief left his seat, went to his room, and came back with something he had once seen during his history lessons.

That object was called a balance scale.

After that, it his wife's turn. She took the gold coin and put it next to a circular object, as though she were comparing their sizes. After she was satisfied, she placed the gold coin on one pan of the balance, and on the other pan went a counterweight.

He seemed to recall that this sort of thing was called a "standardized mass."

As Ainz went through his memories, he compared them to the wife's action and tried to figure out what she was trying to do. The first part should have been comparing his coin to the gold pieces of this country, and next she was trying to confirm its gold content.

It would seem the gold coin was heavier, and the standardized mass rose up. The Chief's wife put another mass on it, and both sides balanced out.

"It seems to be about twice as heavy as a regular gold pieces... Perhaps, perhaps if we could scratch the surface..."

"O-Oi! You're being rude! Please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf on my wife, for saying such foolish things..."

 _No wonder. She must have thought it was gold-plated._ Ainz was not completely offended, but he was not angry.

"It's fine... Although, if you scratch it and find that it's pure gold, you'll take it, no?"

"Ah, no... We are truly sorry for this."

The Chief's wife bowed in apology, and returned the gold coin.

"Think nothing of it. After all, it's only sensible to verify the bona fides of any money you're given. Still, what do you think of this gold piece? Don't you think it looks like a work of art?"

"Indeed, it is very beautiful. May I ask the name of the country from which it came?"

"It's no longer — yes, that country no longer exists."

"I see..."

"...Well, you've confirmed for yourselves that it weighs twice as a regular gold piece, but considering its artistic value, this gold piece should be worth as a result. What do you think?"

"That met be so... But we are not merchants, and we do not know the value of art..."

"Hahaha... Well, that's not wrong. So, if I were to use this to buy something, it would be worth two normal gold pieces?"

"Of, of course."

"Actually, I have a few more gold pieces like this. What can you sell me for them? Of course, I wish to pay the usual market rate for them. I don't mind if it's the same as what a street vendor would charge. By all means, go ahead and inspect these coins. Please—"

"Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!"

The Village Chief's sudden shout made Ainz's nonexistent heart lurch. The Chief's determined expression seemed harder and more forceful than before.

"...Ainz will do."

"Ainz-sama, then?" the Chief seemed a little surprised at this, but as he soon nodded and continued speaking:

"I fully understand what you want to say, Ainz-sama."

For a moment, Ainz wondered if a giant question mark icon had appeared over his head. There seemed to be a misunderstanding of some sort, but he had no idea what the Chief was getting at, so he did not know how to answer him.

"I am very aware that you do not wish to be seen as cheap, and I understand that you would wish to request an appropriate reward in keeping with the public view of yourself, Ainz-sama. Certainly, it would require a great deal of money of money to obtain your services. Therefore, what else do you desire besides 3,000 coppers?"

Ainz had no idea what the Chief was talking about and his mind was a whirl of confusion. He was silently grateful that he was wearing a mask. The reason Ainz brought out the gold coin was because he wanted to know what it could buy, and thus gain a rough grasp of market values. How had things ended up like this?

The Chief did not give Ainz any opportunity to cut in and continued:

"However, as I said earlier, this village can only produce 3,000 copper coins in cash. Although you must be suspicious of us, we would not dare hide the truth from our savior, Ainz-sama."

The Chief's expression seemed honest and determined. He did not seem to be lying. If it turned to be a deception, then Ainz could only curse his inability to read people.

"No, I am certain that a great man like yourself could not possibly be content with that sum. Perhaps if everyone in the village gathered their wealth, we might be able to produce sufficient cash to satisfy Ainz-sama. However... Our village has lost a lot of manpower, and if we paid more than 3,000 coppers, we would not be able to survive the coming winter. The same applies with our products. Many fields will have to be abandoned because we lack the people to work them. If we give you our supplies, our lives would be difficult. Although it pains me to have to ask a favor of our savior, perhaps... Could we... Could we pay by installments?"

 _Hm? Isn't this a good chance?_

It felt like he had been lost in a dense forest — like he did a few days ago — and then his field of view expanded before him. Ainz pretended to think about it, and then all he could do was pray it all worked out. After a few seconds, Ainz gave his reply.

"I understand. The payment will not be needed."

"Eh!? But... But why?"

The Village Chief and his wife stared at Ainz, their eyes wide and their tongues tied. Ainz raised his hand, indicating that he still had something to say. He had to consider what he could and could not reveal, and it was quite troublesome. He did not know if he could guide them into telling them what he wanted, but he had no choice but to try.

"...I am a magic caster. I'm currently travelling around the world for spell research, and I have stumbled myself upon this place quite recently."

"I see, so that's why you are dressed like this."

"Ah, mm. That's right," Ainz muttered as he touched the Jealous Mask.

 _What would people on the street think if they saw a magic caster walking around in his weird getup?_

He thought of the crowded streets of Bali, and just as he was hoping not to see something like that in his world, Ainz noticed something that he could not understand, which was how YGGDRASIL terms were understood and used here.

The term "magic caster" referred to a lot of things. It included clerics, priests, druids, arcaners, sorcerers, wizards, bards, mikos, talismancers, sages and countless other magic-using classes. In YGGDRASIL, they were all called magic casters. It would be surprising if the exact terminology carried over to this world.

As Ainz watched their reactions, he replied:

"...I may have said that I did not want a reward, but a magic caster uses many tools to achieve his aims, including fear and knowledge. These things are tools for generating profit, but like I said earlier, I'm a travelling magic caster that is currently focused on spell research, so my knowledge of local matters is somewhat lacking. Therefore, I would like to learn about the surroundings from the two of you. In addition, I hope you will not tell anyone about this sale of information. I will accept that one lieu of a reward."

Nobody would be nice as to say "I don't want anything." One could say that nothing was more expensive than being free of charge.

Someone who saved another's life was entitled to a reward for their hard work. Yet, if the savior said they did not want a reward, anyone would find that strange.

Then, the next best thing was to make the other side feel that they paid in some way, even if it was in an intangible form.

In other words, the best solution to the present situation was to allay their suspicions by having them trade information to Ainz. That would put them at ease.

The Chief and his wife nodded, steadfast looks on their faces.

"I understand. We will not let anyone know about this."

Ainz secretly clenched his fists in approval. It would seem the skills he had picked up through working could still be put to use here.

"Excellent. I do not wish to bind you with magic. I shall trust your good name."

Ainz extended an armored hand. The Chief stared blankly at it for a moment before taking the situation in, and he grasped Ainz's hand.

After that, Ainz breathed a sigh of relief. It would seem shaking hands was a known practice here. It would have been tremendously depressing if the Chief had looked dumbfoundedly at him.

Of course, Ainz did not fully trust them. After all, mouths that were sealed by the promise of benefits could be opened by bigger benefits. If he tried to play on their personalities to keep them quiet, the vagaries of human nature might make them talk. No method was better than the other, so all Ainz could do was take a chance and hope the Chief's character would keep his lips sealed. Although, it would be fine even if he did talk. That betrayal would simply be more leverage Ainz could use in future dealings with the village.

That said, Ainz's instincts told him that they would not betray him. After seeing the earnest gratitude of the Chief and his wife, he believed that they would be loyal.

"Then... Can you tell me more about this place?"

* * *

"...What, what is this?"

"Urk! Is something the matter?"

"No, it's fine. I was simply speaking to myself. Forgive me for alarming you."

Ainz recovered in an instant and immediately covered himself up. If his body were still human, he would be sweating buckets by now.

The Chief simply said, "Is that so?" and did not ask further.

Perhaps, the Chief had already equated "magic casters" with "weirdos." Then again, that was better for Ainz...

"Shall I prepare a drink for you?"

"Oh, no, I'm not thirsty. Please, don't trouble yourself."

His wife was no longer in the room, but outside — there were many things she had to help with. Only Ainz and the Chief were in the house now.

Ainz first asked about the neighboring countries, and the Chief responded with many name that he had never heard before. Although Ainz was prepared for this, he could not help but be surprised after hearing them.

At first, Ainz had thought that this world would be designed according to the fundamental principles of YGGDRASIL. After all, he could use YGGDRASIL's magic here, and there were many connections with YGGDRASIL to. Yet, none of the names he heard were related to YGGDRASIL.

The nearby countries were the Re-Estize Kingdom, the Baharuth Empire, and the Slaine Theocracy. These names did not appear in the context of YGGDRASIL, which was inspired by Norse Mythology.

Ainz felt like the world was spinning and his body was wobbling, Ainz gripped the table edge with a gauntleted hand to maintain his balance. Although he had expected this world to be an alien one, he could not help but be surprised by it.

The impact was greater than he had expected.

This was the first time he had felt so shaken ever since he had become an undead.

Ainz tried his best to remain calm, and reconsidered what he had heard about those neighboring kingdoms and the local geography.

Firstly, there was the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire. These countries were on different sides of a mountain range, and to the south of those mountains was a sprawling forest, and at the edge of that forest was this village, under the Re-Estize Kingdom, and the fortress city of E-Rantel.

Relations between the Kingdom and the Empire were bad, and they would fight a battle in the wilderness near E-Rantel almost every year.

To the south was the Slaine Theocracy.

The best way to describe the orientation of these countries was to draw a circle, and then divided it up with an inverted T. It seemed confusing, but it was much easier to describe things that way. To the left was the Re-Estize Kingdom, to the right was the Baharuth Empire, and below them was the Slaine Theocracy. There were other countries, but the Chief only knew of these three.

The Chief was not sure where exactly this village was placed between the three of them.

In other words—

"...How of foolish of me."

The knights from just now were wearing armor emblazoned with the insignia of the Baharuth Empire, so the Chief believed that they were from the Baharuth Empire. But this area was also bordered the Slaine Theocracy, so they might have been knights from that country in disguise.

If this was the work of the Slaine Theocracy, then he should probably do something on the Empire's side. On the Kingdom's side, he should have accumulated enough goodwill with them rescuing their village, so things should be fine for now.

Ainz sank into thought.

Was he the only one who had come to this world?

 _Impossible. There was a high chance other players had come here too. Perhaps Herohero-san was here as well._ He needed to think about what would happen if he encountered other players.

If other players had come to this world, they would probably gather up, given the nature of the Japanese people. When the time came, he had to do almost anything to blend in. He could give in to anything as long as it did not involve Ainz Ooal Gown.

The problem was what would happen if the other side considered him an obstacle. The possibility was slight, but it could not be discounted.

Ainz Ooal Gown was a guild that had always roleplayed as villains through PKing, and thus they were a much-hated guild. He could not be sure that he had shed that negative image. For all he knew, the other players might want to take revenge on him out of a sense of justice and righteous anger.

In order to avoid others declaring a vendetta on him, he had to refrain from doing anything that antagonized the surrounding people. For instance, massacring the local populace — especially innocent civilians — might enrage those players who had not yet lost their humanity. Of course, it would be different matter if there was a reason which would satisfy them, such as killing the knights who were trying to sack this village.

In any event, it would be better if future actions were taken for a high-sounding reason. That also meant he might have to do things he did not like, but that could not be helped.

If the people he met bore hatred toward Ainz Ooal Gown, then combat would be unavoidable. To that end, he had to draw up a plan and countermeasures if that situation took place.

If the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick was here, and given its current strength of its defenses before he was transported to this world, they could easily overwhelm about thirty level 100 players. In addition, they could possibly use World Class Items in their defense, so it was a nigh-impregnable fortress. They would probably be able to repel invaders like they had in the past. If only it was here that is. And given by Ainz's current situation, there might be a level 200 player that could easily and casually rape Nazarick's defenses like it was nothing.

However, it was easy to see how dire the situation could be without reinforcements. In addition, the trump card of Ainz Ooal Gown — their World Class Items — would drain Ainz's levels every time he unleashed their full power. If they were attacked in succession, the time might come when the World Class Items would become unusable. Also, the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick that housed those items were not here. Thinking about it, there's plenty of disadvantages here and there.

Ainz was very clear that wargaming a scenario like this in his head was prone to bias and tunnel vision. However, Ainz was no longer a child, and he always considered the worst-case scenario before taking any action. This was simply thinking of how to take care of a problem before it happened.

If he just wanted to scrape by, he could simply live in the mountains like a beast. However, the power he possessed and the mighty name he bore prevented him from doing that.

If he wanted to coexist peacefully with the world, then he would need to deal with problems as and when they came up.

As such, combat and the expansion of fighting power would become a very important topic in future. He had to gather information about this world, as well as news about other players.

"...That should do."

"What happened?"

"No, it's nothing. I simply spaced out because things were not as I expected. Right, can you tell me about something else now?"

"Ah, ah yes, I understand."

The Village Chief started talking about monsters next.

Much like YGGDRASIL, this world had monsters in it. The nearby forest was filled with monsters, and one of them was known as the "Wise King of the Forest." There were also Dwarves, all sorts of Elves, Goblins, Orcs, Ogres, and the like. Apparently some of the demihumans had even built their own nations.

There were people called adventurers who drove off these monsters, and they counted many magic casters among their number. Apparently, these adventurers had guilds of their own in all the big cities.

Apart from that, he also learned about the nearby fortress of E-Rantel.

According to the Chief, E-Rantel was the biggest city in the area, although he did not know exactly how large its population was. That seemed to be the best place to gather information.

While the Chief's words were helpful, there were still many unclear details. Therefore, it would be better to send someone over there to find out, rather than ask the Chief questions.

Finally, there was the matter of language. It was surprising that they understood Japanese in this new world. As a result, Ainz looked carefully at the Village Chief's mouth, and discovered that he was not, in fact, speaking Japanese. Neither their words of the movements of their mouths matched up with the Japanese language.

After that, he did some more questions.

His conclusion was that someone had fed the people of this world some sort of Translation Konnyaku. However, he did not know who had fed that substance to them.

The language of this world was translated before the other party heard it.

If he could understand what the other person said, then he should be able to communicate with non-human lifeforms, like say, a dog or a cat. The question now was who had done this. In addition, the Village Chief did not find this strange.

It seemed perfectly natural to him.

—In other words, this was a basic principle of the world. Then again, when one thought about it calmly, this was a magical world, which might run on completely different precepts than the world. In which Ainz had been born.

It would seem that the basic knowledge and facts he had learned in his previous life were no longer applicable here. This was a grave problem.

If he was ignorant about this world, there was a chance he might make a fatal mistake. "Ignorance" was synonymous with "disaster," in this case.

Right now, Ainz lacked information about his surroundings. He had solve this problem quickly, but he had no idea where to begin. Could it be that he had to kidnap someone and make him talk about what he knew? That was not a workable option. But then again, there was still that one unconscious knight earlier. So it isn't considered as kidnapping but taking him into hostage, no, it might be case, it seems.

That being the case, there was only one alternative left to him.

"...It would seem I will need to live in a city for a while."

He had to observe and imitate many things in order to learn about the world. He also needed to understand the magic of this world, and many other things about it.

As he thought about this, he heard footsteps from outside the flimsy wooden door. There was a large delay between the sounds of the footsteps, which meant that whoever it was, they were not advancing quickly. Those were the steady, plodding sounds of a grown man's footsteps.

A knocking came from the door as Ainz turned to it. The Chief could not help but look at Ainz's face. He dared not act of his own accord because he was still explaining things to his savior, as payment for saving him and everyone else in the village.

"Please, by all means. I was intending to take a break myself. I won't mind if you step outside."

"I'm very sorry about this," the Chief said as he nodded in apology. He headed to the door, when he opened it, a villager appeared. He looked first to the Chief, then to Ainz, and said:

"Chief, I'm sorry to interrupt you when you're talking to our guests, but they're ready for the burial..."

"Oh..."

The Chief looked at Ainz, his eyes begging for his approval.

"It's fine. There's no need to worry about me."

"Thank you. Then, tell the others that I will be there soon."

* * *

The burial ceremony was held in a nearby communal graveyard. It was surrounded by a broken-down fence, and within were several circularstone slabs inscribed with people's names.

The Village Chief recited the verses to ease the spirits of the dead, and the words from his mouth appealed to a god that Ainz had never heard of in YGGDRASIL. It was a prayer that the spirits of the dead would find peace.

It appeared that there not enough hands to bury all the bodies at once, so they chose to bury some of them first. To Ainz, burying the dead on the day they died was too hasty, but perhaps this was a normal practice for the faiths in this world.

He spotted the sisters he saved among the other villagers — Enri Emmott and Nemu Emmott. Their parents' bodies were among those that would be buried today.

As he watched the villagers from close by, he idly stroked a 30 centimeter long wand under his robe. The wand was made of ivory and capped with gold. There were runes over the grip and it radiated an aura of holiness.

It was a Wand of Ressurection.

It was a magic item which could return the dead to life. Of course, Ainz did not possess just one of these wands. He had enough to ressurection all the dead in the village, with room to spare. Especially when he has own resurrection spells to begin with.

According to the Village Chief, this world's magic did not have the power to raise the dead. That being the case, if he used the wand of ressurection, he would create a miracle in this village. However, after the prayer finished, as the burial ceremony neared its end, Ainz returned the wand to his inventory.

He could have brought them back to life, but he chose not. This was not because he felt that the souls of the dead were the domain of the gods, or something other religious reason. It was simply because he felt that there were no benefits in doing so.

It was not hard to tell which would be more threatening, a magic caster could take lives, or a magic caster which could return them. In addition, the chances of the villagers keeping the secret would be very low, even if he ordered them not to talk about the resurrections.

The power to conquer death was something that everyone craved.

If things were different, he might have used that power to recall people to life. However, he did not have enough information on the local conditions, so it would be unwise to do so now.

"They should be content with the fact that the village was saved," Ainz muttered as he looked at the Death Knight and the Two Principality of Observations that were standing/hovering behind him.

The Death Knight and the Two Principality of Observations were another mystery.

In YGGDRASIL, all summoned monsters would vanish after a certain time unless special methods were used in their summoning. He had not used any such methods to summon the Death Knight nor the Two Principality of Observations and their summoning time was long past, but they remained here.

Although, he had many hypotheses for this phenomenon, he still did not know enough to come to an answer. As Ainz was thinking about this, he then heard a small, but quiet voice called out to him. Greatly surprising him, as he looked around and saw many figures wearing white garments that Ainz couldn't believe, even with his own nonexistent eyes. And it greatly astounded him.

 _Are those—?!_

"Mein Schöpfer. Are those...?"

Pandora's Actor, who had just arrived beside his creator, was also shocked about this as well.

What they saw, was the spirits of the deceased villagers of this village that had been killed by the knights that attacked this village. They all floated above the surviving villagers, as though they looked down on them, with faces longing with a good farewell in order to pass on to the afterlife.

This was something unheard of. The spirits of the dead that was supposed to be passing on the next life, and here he saw they were floating above the villagers' graves. Ainz couldn't seem think what could be reason why he could see them. Granted, he has a racial skill that lets him talk and understand with other undead beings that were unable speak or they were just plain stupid enough that they are unable to speak. But then again, it could be that the skill ,「Light Wisdom」, was at work again, it seems.

As if on cue, a floating board appeared in front of Ainz. Much to his predictability in guessing things.

It says:

* * *

 _ **Skill:**_ _ **「**_ _ **Light Wisdom**_ _ **」**_

 _ **Search: Specified Ability**_

 _ **Lore: When the Overlord had met the required and appropriate level of 125. He shall see things that are impossible to see in the eyes of the living. He shall gain the power to let the living see the spirits of the dead or departed as a final farewell to all those who have lost their loved ones, and forgave those who had sinned against them. Their regret shall become their relief, their sadness become their joy as they gave the final farewell to all those who can finally rest in peace.**_

 _ **Ability and skills:**_ _ **「**_ _ **See the Spirits of the Dead**_ _ **」**_ _ **,**_ _ **「**_ _ **Spiritual Communication**_ _ **」**_ _ **, and**_ _ **「**_ _ **Final Farewell**_ _ **」**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Requirements: Must be level 125.**_

 _ **Creatures or NPCs that were personally created by the Overlord must be at least equal to the same level as that of his/her creator.**_

* * *

"Well, at least Pandora's Actor could see as well." Ainz mused, before turning to Pandora's Actor.

"I see you can see them as well, Pandora's Actor."

Pandora's Actor turned his head to face his creator.

"So it wasn't a hallucination or an illusion... Is this the work of one of your wisdoms, mein Schöpfer?"

"Yes, of course. To tell you frankly, I've just discovered it just now. We will leave them for now, but first I have something to do first."

"...And that is?"

"I'll show you." he said, before he quietly called out to his skill.

"「Special Skill: Final Farewell」."

With that, after his special skill have been released, Ainz turned his eyes back to the burial. They were about to fill in the graves, and the two girls were crying non-stop.

 _This is the least I can do to repay you, Chief._

After that thought, a miracle that will never be forgotten, have been shown to the surviving villagers.

* * *

In order not to interrupt their special moment. Ainz strolled leisurely toward one of the roads leading to the village. Behind him were Pandora's Actor, the Death Knight, and the two Principality of Observations.

Though his information-gathering had been interrupted by the funeral. Ainz had still managed to learn much about the region and the ways of this world. By the time he left the Village Chief's home, the sun was going down.

It would seem his little hero act — to pay forward the kindness his old friend showed him — had taken more time than expected.

Still, the time spent here had not been wasted. In particular, the more he learned about this world, the more he realised he did not know. It was enough that he was aware of his ignorance.

As Ainz watched the magnificent sunset, he thought about what he needed to do.

It was dangerous to move around in this world when he did not understand anything about it. Ideally, he should finish gathering information and then begin acting in this world under a false identity. Although, after saving this village, hiding his identity was impossible.

Even if the knights were exterminated, their parent country would unearth the truth. Much like in the previous world where forensic science was well-developed, this new world might have its own ways of finding out the truth, and they might be very efficient in doing so.

Also, even if they made no investigations, as long as the village survived, someone would eventually follow the trail back to Ainz. To prevent a leak, he could at least temporarily stay in this village for a while. However, the country that these villagers belonged to would not take that lying down, and they might even treat it as a kidnapping.

Therefore, he stated his name, and let the knights flee. All but one of them remain.

There were two reasons for that.

The first reason was that news Ainz would get around as long as he did not hole up somewhere like a tomb of sorts. Therefore, it would be better if he controlled how the information got out.

The second was because he wanted to spread the word that Ainz Ooal Gown saved a village and slew the knights. In particular, he wanted to let any players from YGGDRASIL hear about it.

Ainz planned to take up residence in either the Kingdom, the Empire, or the Theocracy.

If there were other players in these countries, there should be some trace of them. In contrast, if Ainz used his summons and creations to gather this information, it would be only be troublesome, but very risky. For instance, given the Death Knight's hideous appearance, giving the locals the wrong kind of impressions would end up making him unnecessary enemies.

Therefore, from an information-gathering point of view, joining one of the countries was a very good idea.

It would also be good to have one of them as backing in order to ensure his and Pandora's Actor's survival. After all, he could not take these countries lightly while he was not aware of their power. In addition, he could not lower his guard as long as he did not know who was the most powerful person in this new world. For all Ainz knew, there might be stronger than him among these three nations.

While there were a lot of drawbacks to becoming part of one of these kingdoms, there were many advantages as well. The question was the capacity in which he would join one of these countries.

He was not interested in being a slave. Neither was he interested in becoming part of a black-hearted enterprise like the one Herohero-san was in. Therefore, he needed to make his existence known to these factions. After having a closer look at their respective situations and how they treated him, he would move toward the most ideal of the factions.

These were the basics of job-hopping.

In that case, when should he make his move? He might end up exposing his weaknesses while he remained ignorant.

Ainz shook his head as he thought about that, as though he was tired. After all, he had been ceaselessly using his mind for the past few hours, and it was overstressed.

"Haa... Let's leave it at this. We've finished everything we need to do here. Pandora's Actor, let's go hit the road."

"Uh... What?"

"You know, going somewhere aimlessly unless we stumbled upon something interesting."

"Ah... Yes, I understood."

Pandora's Actor's reply sounded a bit gloomy. There should be no reason for him to be so in a place like the village.

In that case, there was only a few reasons he could think of for Pandora's Actor to be like this. Ainz quietly asked Pandora's Actor:

"...Do you like humans?"

"Of course I do, mein Schöpfer. Especially the children, they were all kind, yes, that is true. And the children greatly appreciated my dramatic poses and acting, as well as how they said that I look amazing."

Pandora's Actor's words were sweetly coated in pride and gratitude, and yes, you heard him. The villagers' children says he's amazing.

Considering he's the one responsible for creating this being, Ainz felt like he should say something and said:

"I see... I understand how you feel. However, I hope you can control yourself for the time being, because we have to put on a show."

Pandora's Actor nodded energetically. As Ainz looked at him, he began to feel a bit frustrated.

His likes or dislikes would not be a problem for now, but the future was a different matter.

Understanding his NPC as well as possible subordinates was an important skill he had to master.

After Ainz realized this, he began looking for the Village Chief. It was basic manners to bid someone farewell before leaving.

He found the Chief almost immediately, talking to some of the villagers. He had a stern look on his face, but it did not seem normal. Indeed, he seemed to be quite wound up.

 _What was happening now?_

Ainz resisted the urge to go "Cheh," and approached the Chief. After all, he had saved them once; that meant that they were his responsibility.

"...What's wrong, Chief-dono?"

The Chief's face lit up, as though he had glimpsed a golden shiny wire of hope.

"Oh, Ainz-sama. It would seem there are some people who look to be warriors approaching us..."

"I see..."

The Chief and the other nearby villagers looked at Ainz, worried expressions on their faces.

Ainz gently raised his hand as he saw this, which filled everyone with relief as he said:

"Leave it to me. Gather all of the survivors into the Village Chief's house right now. The Chief and I will remain here."

A bell rang, and the villagers gathered. The Death Knight and the two Principality of Observations took up a position near the Chief's house, while Pandora's Actor remained behind him, awaiting orders.

In order to dispel the Chief's unease, Ainz cheerfully said:

"Please be at ease. I will make an exception and handle this for free."

The Chief no longer trembled, and smile bitterly instead. Perhaps he had prepared himself to take this risk.

After a while, they finally sighted many mounted warriors along the road leading to the village. The horsemen slowly entered the square.

"...They aren't uniformly equipped, and each of them is outfitted differently... Are they not regular troops?" Ainz mused as he observed the men and their wargear.

The knights from before had breastplates bearing the sigils of the Baharuth Empire, and they were heavily equipped, each in the same way. While these men were wearing armor as well, their gear varied from man to man. Some wore leather armor and some did not have their plate armor on, exposing the chainmail underneath.

Some of them wore helmets, while some went bareheaded. About the only thing they had in common was that they each showed their faces. All of them had swords of similar make, but apart from that, they also carried bows, javelins, maces, and other backup weapons.

One could say that they looked like hardened veterans of the battlefield. A less polite way would be to say that they were a ragtag bunch of sellswords.

The riders finally entered the square. There were around twenty of them, and while they were wary of the Death Knight and the two Principality of Observations, they formed up neatly before Ainz and the Village Chief. A man stepped forward from the rest of the force.

He seemed to be the leader of the horsemen. He looked like the fiercest and most eye-catching one of his men.

The leader's eyes rested briefly upon the Village Chief before lingering on the Death Knight, the two Principality of Observations, and then he turned toward Pandora's Actor. He took a long time looking at him. However, once he satisfied himself that none of them were going to move, he immediately turned his keen gaze on Ainz.

Although the man looking at him seemed to be the sort who made his living by violence, Ainz remained still. A look like that could not hope to raise any ripples on the still lake of Ainz's heart.

Once satisfied, the leader spoke in a grave tone:

"—I am the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. By order of the King, I have been visiting each of the frontier villages to exterminate knights from enemy countries who have been making trouble here."

His even baritone echoed through the village square, and there was some commotion from the Chief's house behind Ainz.

"The Kingdom's Warrior-Captain..."

 _Won't anyone tell me what's going on?_ Ainz thought as he spoke to the Chief, his voice carrying a hint of rebuke:

"...What sort of man is he?"

"According to the traders, he was a man who claimed the championship of the martial arts tournament held before the King, and now he leads the elite warriors who are loyal to the King."

"Is the man before us truly so amazing...?"

"...I do not know. All I heard were stories."

Ainz looked closely, and he saw that each of the horsemen had the same emblems on their chests, which resembled what the Chief had said about the Kingdom's emblems. That said, he did not have enough reliable information to be sure.

Gazef looked at the Chief and said, "You must be the Chief of this village. Can you tell me who is the person beside you?"

Ainz interrupted the Chief, who was about to answer, before nodding to Gazef and introducing himself.

"There is no need for that. Pleased to meet you, Warrior-Captain-dono of the Kingdom. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and I am a magic caster. This village was attacked by knights, and so I stepped in to rescue them."

Gazef immediately dismounted, his armor clattering loudly as he did. He bowed deeply once he was on the ground.

"Thank you for saving this village. I have no words that can adequately praise your kindness."

The air seemed to tremble.

The Warrior-Captain was a man from a privileged class of society. It was quite shocking that such a man would bow and scrape before a nobody like Ainz, in this world where people were so clearly divided amongst each other. From what he had heard, the concept of human rights was almost nonexistent in this country — no, this world. A few years ago, the Kingdom still sanctioned the slave trade.

One could tell Gazef's character from the way he was ready to dismount and bow to Ainz despite their difference in status.

 _This man is definitely the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain,_ Ainz concluded.

"...Please, do not stand on ceremony. In truth, I did this for payment, so no thanks is needed."

"Oh, a payment. Does that mean that you are an adventurer?"

"That is close enough to the truth."

"Oh... I see. You must be an extraordinary adventurer, then. Although, forgive my ignorance, but I have not heard your mighty name before, Gown-dono."

"I was travelling, you see, and I just happened to pass by. I am nobody famous."

"...Travelling, you say. Though I regret having to waste the time of such a great adventurer, could you please tell me about the blackguards who attacked this village?"

"It would be my pleasure, Warrior-Captain-dono. Most of the knights who have attacked this village are already dead," _Save for one,_ "So they will not be able to make trouble for the time being. Shall I go on?"

"...Already dead... Gown-dono, did you strike them down?"

After listening to the way Gazef spoke. Ainz realise that this world's form of address was Western-style, and not Japanese-style. In other words, it went in the order of name, then surname, and not surname, then name. At last, he had solved the mystery of why the Chief looked so baffled when he had asked the Chief to call him Ainz. It was only expected that he would look like that when asked to address someone in such an unfamiliar way.

"...Well, that is not entirely accurate..."

Gazef picked up on the hint in Ainz's tone, and turned his eyes toward the Death Knight, and the two Principality of Observations. He must have smelled the faded scent of gore and death that came from them.

"I have a couple of questions... May I know who they are?"

"They are servants that I summoned and created."

Gazef murmured in approval, and then looked at Ainz up and down with a keen gaze.

"Then... How about that mask?"

"I wear it for reasons known only to a magic caster."

"May I remove that mask?"

"Sadly, I must refuse," Ainz said as he gestured to the Death Knight. "It would not be good if I lost control of him."

A look of shock flashed across the face of the Chief and gasps from the villagers hiding within the Chief's house. Perhaps he had sensed the change in the air and seen the look on the Chief's face, but Gazef nodded deeply and said:

"I see. Then, we'd best not take it off."

"Then—"

"Before that, I have a request you might not like to hear. This village was recently attacked by knights of the Empire, and if you gentlemen brought your weapons in, it might trigger unpleasant memories in the villagers. May I ask you to place your weapons in a corner of the village square, to put the people at ease?"

"...It is as you say, Gown-dono. However, this sword was given to me by the King. I cannot set it down without his express permission."

"—Ainz-sama, we will be fine."

"Is that so, Chief-sama... Then, please forgive my unreasonable request, Warrior-Captain-dono."

"No, I see the logic in your thinking, Gown-dono. If this sword had not been personally awarded to me by the King, I would gladly lay it aside. Then, could we sit down and discuss the details. Also, the sky is growing dark, and we would like to rest in this village for the night..."

"I understand. Then, let us return to my home together—"

In the middle of the Chief's reply, one of the horsemen ran into the square. He was panting heavily, and had an urgent report. In a high-pitched voice, the horseman said:

"Warrior-Captain! We've sighted a lot of people around the village! They've surrounded the village and they're closing in!

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **Wow, this was a longer chapter than I thought would be. About... Holy crap it's exactly 38 pages! Written in Calibri, size 10.5, man this is something else. And it's over 15k words!**

 **Anyways, be sure to sure to press the fav and follow button if you like the story. And be sure to PM me for ideas!**

 **gabrielchiong11 out!**


	7. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't Overlord nor the elements used in this story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

"Everyone, take heed," a calm voice spoke into everyone's ears.

"The prey has entered the cage."

The speaker was a man.

He had no distinguishing features, and he would not stand out in a crowd. However, there was no emotion in his seemingly man-made black sclerae or the scar on his face.

"Offer up your faith to the gods."

Everyone began their silent prayers, a shortened version of their usual praise to their gods.

They had spend time in prayer even when operating in another country. This was not complacency on their part, but a symbol of their faith in their gods.

These men who offered everything to the Slaine Theocracy and the gods they revered were far more devout without the slightest bit of hesitation, and why they felt no guilt for doing so.

After their prayers, the eyes of every men present were as hard and cold as glass.

"Begin."

With that one single word, they neatly encircled the village in a that would appear to onlookers as the product of long, hard training.

* * *

These men were a black ops group from the Slaine Theocracy. Though their reputation spread far and wide, little was known about their members. They belonged to one of the Six Scriptures who answered directly to the high priests of the Slaine Theocracy. They were the Sunlight Scripture, whose mission was to exterminate demihuman settlements.

However, there were very few of these men, who were the most involved of the Six Scriptures in combat. There were only around a hundred of them in total.

This was because the recruitment standards for the Sunlight Scripture were very strict.

Entry required the ability to cast third tier divine magic, which was also the highest tier of magic that ordinary magic casters could reach. In addition, prospective recruits had to be in excellent physical condition, and they had to possess a strong will and deep faith.

In other words, they were the elite among other elite combatants.

The man quietly sighed as he watched his men disperse. Once they scattered to take their positions, it would be very hard to be sure of their movements. However, he was not worried about their skillful encirclement of the village.

The Sunlight Scripture's commander, Nigun Grid Luin, only felt the peace of mind that came with knowing that success was at hand.

The Sunlight Scripture was not used to long-term clandestine operations in the field. As a result, they had missed four chances to finish the mission in the past. They were exceedingly careful every time they closed in on Gazef and his men of the Kingdom, in order to avoid being spotted. If they missed this chance as well, these days of tracking and pursuing would drag on and on.

"Next time... I'd like to ask the other teams for help, and leave some work with them."

Someone answered Nigun's gripes.

"That's right, we've always been specialized in extermination, after all."

The speaker was one of the men who had stayed behind to protect Nigun.

"I mean, this is a strange mission. Usually, we would have backup from the Windflower Scripture for something as important as this."

"Indeed, I don't know why they only deployed us this time round. Still, this will be good experience for us. We can take this as training in infiltrating enemy territory. Hm, for all we know, that was the people on top intended."

Nigun said that, but he was very clear that another mission of this nature would be very unlikely.

The orders he had been given were to "assassinate the greatest warrior of the Kingdom, the man famed in the surrounding countries for his matchless might, Gazef Stronoff."

This was not the sort of task which would usually be assigned to the Sunlight Scripture. Instead, it would have been the province of the Theocracy's most powerful special operations unit, the Black Scripture, whose members wielded the power of heroes. However, it was not possible this time round.

The reason was top secret, so he could not tell his subordinates, but Nigun knew the truth.

The Black Scripture was protecting the holy relic "Kei Seke Kouku" in preparation against the ressurection of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, while the Windflower Scripture was busy chasing the traitor who made off with a relic of the Miko Princesses. Neither of them had the free time to help them.

Nigun unconsciously felt the scar on his face.

He remembered the only time in the past where he had forced to flee with his tail between his legs. The face of that girl with the jet-black demonic sword rose in his mind.

Magic could have easily healed the wound without leaving a mark, but he had purposely left the scar to engrave the lesson of that humiliating defeat into his heart.

"...That damnable Blue Rose."

The members of Blue Rose were citizens of the Kingdom, just like Gazef. Their priestess was the one who most drew his ire. Besides the fact that she was an infidel who worshipped another god, she had stopped Nigun while he was planning to attack demihumans, and even believed that she was on the side of justice in doing so.

"...Humanity is weak, and it uses any and all means to defend itself. Anyone who doesn't know that is an utter and complete fool."

One of the subordinates seemed to have sensed the anger smoldering in Nigun's glassy black eyes, and interjected:

"But, but the Kingdom is foolish too."

Nigun did not answer, although he agreed with those words.

Gazef was strong, so in order to weaken him, they had to deprive him of his panoply.

* * *

The Kingdom was divided into the Noble and the Royal factions. Since they were opposed to Gazef, a prominent figure in the Royal faction, the Noble faction was easily led to take political action to eliminate him. They did not even pause to consider that the impetus for their deeds came from a foreign power.

Gazef was a commoner who had risen to his current station by dint of his swordplay, and so the nobles despised him.

And that had led to this conclusion.

The Kingdom's trump card would soon be lost by their own hands.

That was a supremely foolish move to Nigun.

They — the Slaine Theocracy — might be divided into six sects, but whenever they need to act, they did so as one.

One reason for that was because everyone respected each other's gods. The other was because everyone knew that there were many inhuman tribes and monsters in this world, and that they would be in danger if they did not work together.

"...Which is why everyone should walk the path of the righteous teachings together. Humanity should not fight amongst itself, but work hand in hand to bring about a better and brighter future."

Gazef would be the sacrifice for that.

"...Can we kill him?"

Nigun did not mock his subordinate's unease.

Their prey was the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain — the strongest man in the region — Gazef Stronoff.

Eliminating him would be more difficult than attacking, and exterminating the inhabitants of a huge goblin village. In order to dispel his underlings' fears, Nigun calmly replied:

"It will be fine. Right now, he does not possess any of the Kingdom's treasures, the ones which he is permitted to bear. Without them, killing him will be a piece of cake... No, it would be better to say that without them, this is our only chance to kill him."

The Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, Gazef Stronoff, was famed as the strongest fighter in the land. But there was a reason for that reputation beyond his extraordinary swordsmanship.

The reason was the five heirlooms of the Kingdom. Although only four of them were known, he was permitted to bear all of them.

The Gauntlets of Vitality, that made the user immune to fatigue. The Amulet of Immortality, which constantly regenerated his wounds. The Guardian Armor, made of adamantite and enchanted to ward off critical hits. Razor's Edge, the sword created and enchanted in pursuit of sharpness, which could slice through armor like a proverbial hot knife through butter.

Even Nigun could not hope to triumph in a head-on attack against Gazef Stronoff, whose offensive a day defensive ability increased astronomically when he used those items. No, it might well be that no human could defeat him when he was like that. However, he did not have those treasures with him now, so this was a great chance for Nigun.

"And then... We also have a trump card of our own. This is a battle we cannot possibly lose."

Nigun patted his chest lightly.

In this world, there were three types of magic items which fell outside the usual types and classifications.

The first kind were the relics from 500 years ago, left behind by the Eight Greed Kings who had captured the world in an instant.

The next kind came from the Dragons, who were once the masters of the world before they were decimated by the Eight Greed Kings. The most powerful Dragons, the Dragon Lords, made the secret treasures of dragonkind.

And the third kind were the keystones of the Slaine Theocracy, the artifacts left behind from the Six Gods descended upon the world 600 years ago.

Those were the three types.

What Nigun had in his breast pocket now was a rare treasure that very few people in the Slaine Theocracy possessed. In other words, it was Nigun's secret weapon.

Nigun glanced at the metal band on his wrist. Numbers floated up from its surface, indicating that the appointed time had come.

"Then... Begin the operation."

Nigun and his subordinates begin casting spells.

They summoned the highest-ranking angels their magic would permit.

* * *

"I see... So there were people out there."

Gazef peeked out at the people surrounding the village from inside the darkened house.

He could see three people within his field of vision. They were slowly advancing on the village while maintaining an even separation from each other.

They were unarmed and were not wearing heavy armor. However, that did not mean that they were pushovers. Many magic casters disliked such equipment and preferred lighter gear. This suggested that they were magic casters.

However, it was the winged monsters floating beside them which confirmed their vocations.

Angels.

Angels were monsters summoned from another world, and many people — particularly, the citizens of the Slaine Theocracy — believed them to be messengers of the gods. However, the priests of the Kingdom ruled these so-called angels were merely summoned monsters.

While these religious disputes were part of the reason why the countries were set against each other, Gazef felt that their status as divine messengers was secondary to their strength as monsters.

To Gazef, angels and demons, their similarly-ranked counterparts, were stronger than many other monsters summoned using magic of a similar tier. Most of them had special abilities and some could even use magic. They were troublesome foes, in his reckoning.

Of course, that depended on the individual angel. Not all of them were difficult to beat.

However, the angels this time round, with their shining breastplates and flaming swords, were of a type that was unknown to him.

Ainz was watching them with him from the side. He asked Gazef, who did not know anything and could not gauge their strength:

"Who are these people? What do they want? I don't think there should be anything that valuable in this village..."

"Gown-dono, you do not know either? ...Well, if it is not wealth they seek, then there can only be one other answer."

Ainz and Gazef locked eyes.

"They must really hate you, Warrior-Captain-dono."

"It comes with the job of Warrior-Captain. However... This is troubling. Judging by the way the other side has so many people who can summon angels, they must be from the Slaine Theocracy... And it's clear that the people carrying out this operation must be a special operations units... The legendary Six Scriptures. It would seem that both in numbers or ability, the opposition is superior to us."

Gazef shrugged, indicating the difficulty he was in. He might have seemed merely depressed on the surface, but inside, he was seething with anger and panic.

"Well, they've certainly gone to a lot of trouble, using the Noble faction to strip me of my gear. However, it's troublesome for that snake of a man to remain in the courts, so I guess it should be my good fortune to be able to recognize his villainy here. Still, I didn't expect the Slaine Theocracy to have their eyes on me..."

He snorted.

He did not have enough men, he was under-equipped for a battle like this, and he had no plans in mind. In short, he had nothing. Although, there might still be a trump card he could use.

"...Is that an Archangel Flame? It looks similar enough, but... What I'd a monster like that doing here... Could it have been summoned by magic too? That means..."

Gazef turned to look at the mumbling Ainz. With a hopeful look on his face, he asked:

"Gown-dono ,if it's all right with you, would you be willing to let me hire you?"

There was no answer, but Gazef could feel the weight of Ainz's gaze beneath the mask.

"You may name your price and I will meet it."

"...Please permit me to refuse."

"...Even the loan of that knight and two angels you summoned would be fine."

"...I must refuse that as well."

"I see... Then, what if I conscripted you, in accordance with the Kingdom's laws?"

"That would be the worst decision you could make... I did not plan to say such harsh words, but if you insist on using the authority of the Kingdom to conscript me, then I would compelled to put up a bit of resistance."

The two of them looked wordlessly at each other. The first to avert his eyes was Gazef.

"...That would be frightening indeed. We would be wiped out before even crossing blades with the gentlemen of the Slaine Theocracy."

"Wiped out... Well, that's a good joke. However, I am glad you understand me."

Gazef narrowed his eyes and looked at Ainz, whose head was nodded in thanks.

His words just now were not a joke, Gazef's instincts told him. Making an enemy of this magic caster would be a fatal error.

In the face of this life-threatening danger, his instincts were more reliable than his meager intellect.

 _Who was he? Where did he come from?_

As Gazef thought, he looked at Ainz's strange mask. What did he look like under the mask? Was he someone that he knew? Or...

"What's wrong? Is there something on my mask?"

"Ah, no. I simply felt that mask was very special. Since that mask is used to control that monster... It must be a very powerful magic item... Am I correct?"

"Well, about that... I should say it's a very rare and valuable item. One could even say that it was exclusive."

Possessing a potent magic magic item implied that the possessor was a skilled individual. By that logic, Ainz must have been a very talented magic caster. Gazef felt a little saddened for not being able to secure him.

Although, part of him hoped that as an adventurer, Ainz would accept that request.

"...I see that it's meaningless to keep going on about this. Then, Gown-dono, please take care of yourself. Once again, thank you for saving this village."

Gazef removed his metal gauntlet and shook Ainz's hand. Originally, Ainz was thinking of removing his own Jarngreipr to return the courtesy, but in the end, he did not do so. Still, Gazef paid it no heed. He gripped Ainz's hand tightly, and said:

"I am truly, truly grateful to you for protecting these innocent villagers from being slaughtered. Also... I know it is very selfish of me and I have no authority to make you do anything... But I hope you can protect the villagers here, just one more time. Right now, I have nothing to give you, but I hope that no matter what, you will heed my plea..."

"About that..."

"If you should ever visit the Royal Capital, I will give you anything you desire, I swear this on the name of Gazef Stronoff."

Gazef let go of Ainz's hand, making to kneel, but Ainz extended his hand to stop him.

"...There is no need to go that far... Very well, I shall protect the villagers. I swear on the name of Ainz Ooal Gown."

After hearing Ainz swear on his name, Gazef breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much, Gown-dono. Now I have nothing more to worry about. All I need to do now is to charge boldly ahead."

"...Very well, I bid you good luck, Warrior-Captain-dono."

"Then, thank you, Gown-dono. Time grows short, but I must now leave."

"...Will you not wait until nightfall before setting out?l

"The opposition should have spells like 「Darkvision」and the like, so night fighting is not to our advantage, but I cannot imagine they will be hampered by it. Also... We also need to let you see how we stand or fall."

"I see. As expected of the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, your keen insight is truly worthy of praise. Then, I wish you all the best, Warrior-Captain-dono."

"And I wish you a safe journey home, Gown-dono."

* * *

Ainz quietly watched Gazef's back shrinking into the distance as he rode off. Although his creator seemed to be thinking about something. Pandora's Actor did not inquire further.

"...Haa... When I first saw the humans here, I could not help but think of them as insects... But after speaking with them, I have come to be fond of them, like small animals."

"Is that why you swore your name to protect them?"

"Perhaps... No, I should say that it was in response to how bravely rode to his death..."

Ainz admired it.

He admired Gazef's determination, his strength of will that he did not have.

"...Pandora's Actor, transform either to Nishikienrai-san or Flatfoot-san to search out the ambushers around us and knock them out once they are found."

"I will do so at once... Ainz-sama, the Village Chief and the others are here."

As Ainz turned to at look at Pandora's Actor, he caught sight of the Chief and two other villagers coming over.

They reached Ainz's side, panting heavily. Filled with tension and unease, the Chief spoke immediately, as though breathing were a luxury he could not afford.

"Ainz-sama, what should we do? Why did the Warrior-Captain leave us behind and not protect us?"

The Chief's words were filled with fear, but there was an undercurrent of anger there as well.

"...He is doing what he must do, Chief-dono... The foe has their eye on the Warrior-Captain-dono, and if he stayed here, the village would become a battlefield. The enemy will not let you flee either. He left this place for your sake."

"I see, so that was why the Warrior-Captain left... Then, then should we remain here?"

"Of course not. They will come to kill you after they are done with the Warrior-Captain-dono. As long as you remain within their encirclement, you will have nowhere to run. However... While the foe is dealing with the Warrior-Captain-dono, you will have the chance to flee. You should take it."

 _So that was why the Warrior-Captain rode out in force with his men. He planned to use himself as bait and lure the enemy away with a head-on attack._

The Chief red-facedly lowered his head as he heard about the Warrior-Captain's slim chances. The man was riding to his death just to give them a chance to flee. He cursed his inability to understand the man's sacrifice, and how he mistook Gazef's courage for selfishness and maligned him for it.

"I can't believe I jumped to conclusions and wrongly blamed a good man... Then, Ainz-sama, what should we do now?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"We live near the forest, but there's no guarantee that we won't be attacked by monsters. We were just lucky and thought that this place is safe, so we gave no thought to self-defense, and in the end, not only we did lose our friends and loved ones, but even became a burden..."

Now it was not just the Chief, but the villagers behind him who had looks of regret on their faces.

"That could not be helped either. Your attackers were professional soldiers. If you had tried to resist, you might have all been dead before I got here."

Ainz was trying to comfort the villagers, but none of them felt comforted at all. The fact was that no matter what pretty words he said, the loss of the villagers was an undeniable tragedy. All they could hope for was for time to heal their wounds.

"Village Chief-dono, there is no more time. You must move quickly so as not to waste the Warrior-Captain's determination."

"I see... Then, Ainz-sama, what will you do?"

"...I will stay here and observe the situation, and then wait for a good time to escort you all away."

"We are always making trouble for you, Ainz-sama, really, we..."

"...Think nothing of it. Because I made a promise to the Warrior-Captain-dono... In any case, gather all the villagers into one of the larger house. I will further protect it with magic."

* * *

He could feel his horse's agitation through his feet.

Even a trained warhorse — no, it was because it was a warhorse that the beast knew it was riding into death.

There were only four or five of the enemy surrounding the village, so there was a large gap between each of them. However, their encirclement was most likely airtight.

In other words, they had set a trap for him, and if he sprang it, he would die.

Even so, Gazef was still determined to break through them. No, going by the present circumstances, a forceful breakthrough was the only choice for him.

He had no chance against them in ranged combat.

If he had skilled archers by his side, it would be a different matter. If not, he had to avoid a long-range battle with magic casters.

Fighting a defensive battle would be even more stupid.

It would be one thing if they had stone-walled houses or a sturdy fort to fight them, but he had no confidence at all in the ability of wooden walls to stop magic. For all he knew, both Gazef and the houses might go up in smoke together.

Therefore, the last tactic he could use was a thoroughly unethical one.

That was to say, he would have to shift the theater of battle in the village and draw Ainz Ooal Gown into the fight, thus forcing his involvement.

But if he did that, it would completely defeat the purpose of coming here in the first place. Therefore, Gazef had to put himself into danger.

"Hit the enemy hard and draw in their sentries from around the village. After that, fall back immediately. Do not hesitate and miss your chance to flee."

After hearing the energetic replies from behind him, Gazef frowned.

 _How many of the men here would be able to go back alive?_

They were not any more talented than ordinary people. Nor were they born with superpowers or special talents. They were just a group of men who had trained hard under Gazef. Losing the fruits of labor here would be a terrible waste.

Gazef was going to make a stupid, senseless sacrifice, and his men were going to follow him into it. He wanted to apologize to these men, that he had drawn in with him, but once he turned around and saw them, those words died in his mouth.

What he saw were the faces of true warriors, fearless men who knew they were headed and who had swallowed any complaints about the matter...

There was no need to apologize for the looks on his men's faces, that look which said that they knew they were riding into danger, but they would go into it regardless. One by one, the men shouted to the embarrassed Gazef:

"Don't worry, Warrior-Captain!"

"Yeah, we all came here of our own free will, to fight and die by your side, Warrior-Captain!"

"Please let us protect our country, our people, and our friends!"

There was nothing left to say. Gazef returned their shouts with a thunderous cry:

"Then, forward! Tear their guts out!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Gazef's men spurred their horses forward to follow their leader. The galloping horses shot across the plains like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Still mounted, Gazef drew his bow and nocked an arrow to the string.

Though his horse shook and shuddered beneath him, Gazef calmly drew the string back. The loosed arrow struck its target unerringly, piercing the head of the frontmost magic caster... Or at least, that was what he thought would happen.

"Cheh! It was useless after all. Maybe if I had a magic arrow, but... Ah, I don't have what I don't have. Griping about it is pointless."

The arrow bounced off like it had struck a sturdy helmet. That supernatural hardness must have been the work of magic. Just as Gazef had said, in order to shoot through magic that protected against ranged attacks, he would need a magic weapon of his own.

Since Gazef did have a weapon like that, he stopped shooting and put away his bow.

The magic casters began their counterattack, and cast their spells.

Gazef focused his energies, and took a stance in order to resist their magic.

Just then, the horse between his legs whinnied loudly and reared up, its front legs kicking the air.

"Go! Go! Go!"

He tightly gripped the reins and leaned forward, practically hugging the horse. Fortunately, his swift reflexes kept Gazef from being thrown off. While it had caused a sheen of cold sweat to bloom all over his body, at the very least, he had managed to suppress his brief panic. There was something more important before him.

A flustered and panting Gazef lashed his mount's flanks, but the horse remained still, as though someone more important than its rider were giving it orders.

This strange phenomenon could only mean one thing.

Mind-controlling magic.

The horse had been affected by such a spell. Gazef might have been able to fight off its effects, but the affected party was not a magical beast, but a mere warhorse, so resistance was not to be expected.

Anger flared up in Gazef for not predicting such an obvious form of attack. He leapt off his horse, and his galloping subordinates guided their mounts around him, flowing past him on both sides.

"Warrior-Captain!"

The last men of the group slowed down, extending their hands. They wanted to help Gazef onto their horse, but the angel looking down upon them from the heavens swooped down faster. Gazef drew his sword and swung at the angel.

The steel blade became a swift flash of light.

The stroke of the Kingdom's strongest man was enough to cleave a man's body in two. But the angel was not a man, and although it had taken a grave wound to its torso, it was not slain yet.

The blood spraying into the air was the mana that composed the angel. It vanished like smoke.

"No need for that! Turn around and charge them!"

After Gazef gave his orders, he turned a keen glare at the angel which had escaped with its life. It had been badly hurt, but it was still trying to find holes in Gazef's defenses.

"So that's how it is."

A strange feeling ran up his arms when his blade found its mark.

Gazef knew what it was. These monsters had a skill that would greatly reduce any damage done to them unless the attacking weapon was made of a special material. It was thanks to this ability that the angel could take a blow from Gazef without falling.

 _If that was the case..._

Gazef focused his energies within himself and activated the martial art 「Focus Battle Aura」, and his blade glowed with a crimson light.

The angel took this opportunity to cut in with a sword of red flame. However—

"—Too slow."

In the eyes of the Kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff, the angel's movements were truly too slow.

Gazef's sword moved.

This blow was far more powerful than the one before it, and Gazef's sword sheared neatly through the Angel's body.

Its body destroyed, the Angel seemed to melt in mid-air, its glittering wings flapping a few times before vanishing as though it had been nothing more than an illusion.

If Gazef had not been in such dire straits, he might well have applauded the light show. However, he did not have the time for that at the moment.

Gazef looked around, saw the enemies advancing on him in an endless tide — and smiled.

More angels flashed into existence around them as well.

Gazef was well aware that they were not ordinary reinforcements.

"...So, anything goes with magic, huh? Damn."

As he cursed the magic casters who could easily do what warriors could not, Gazef calmly took stock of the enemies surrounding him, and confirmed that this was everyone who was surrounding the village.

That would mean that the encirclement of the village was lifted.

"Then, Gown-dono, the rest is up to you."

The knowledge that he could save the surviving villagers filled Gazef's heart with endless joy. He smiled at the enemy's carelessness.

And then, the sound of goodness filtered Gazef's ears. It was the sound of Gazef's subordinates, charging back into battle.

"I told you to scatter once the blockade went down... Truly, you're a bunch of fools... And truly, I'm proud of you."

Gazef sprinted forward.

This might well be the best and only chance to end the battle. Judging by the speed of the horsemen, the enemy magic casters would need to focus all of their attention on them. He would take the advantage of this opportunity to cause chaos in their ranks. That was the only way.

His men's horses whinnied and reared up, just like Gazef's horse did. Several people moaned in pain as they were thrown off their horses, and the angels took the chance to press the attack.

Although his subordinates were on par with the angels in terms of fighting power, the latter had special abilities with the former did not possess, and Gazef's men were soon plunged into dire straits. As he had expected more than half of his men were fighting desperately for their lives. The spells of the magic casters only made things that much worse of them.

His men fell to the ground, one after the other.

Gazef averted his eyes, and ran forward again.

His target was the enemy commander.

He did not think the enemy would retreat if their commander went down, but that was the only way to save everyone.

Over thirty angels put themselves in Gazef's way as he charged. He frowned as he saw the heavy defenses ahead of him.

"Out of my way—"

Gazef activated his trump card.

Heat bloomed from his hands, and spread to envelope his entire body.

Gazef broke the limits of his physical body and stepped into the realm of heroes. In addition, he activated several martial arts at once — one could call those a Warrior's magic.

Gazef glared at the six angels surrounding him.

"「Sixfold Slash of Light」!"

This was a martial art that struck as fast as light. In one move, he hit the six angels around him.

All six of them were cut in half, dissolving into motes of light.

The reinforcements from the Slaine Theocracy gasped in surprise, while Gazef's men cheered.

Although his ultimate attack made his arms cramp up, it was not enough to decrease his fighting effectiveness.

"「Instant Counter」!"

Gazef used his martial art just as the angel swung, and his body blurred away like mist.

Halfway through its attack, the angel took a hit from Gazef. That hit reduced it to glittering dust.

But Gazef's offensive did not end there.

"「Flow Acceleration」!"

With fluid, graceful moves, he dispatched the angels one after the other.

His ultimate attack took down two more angels again. This splendid display of martial technique inspired Gazef's men and gave them a ray of hope.

But the Theocracy's troops would not allow that to happen, and their commander erased that hope with mockery.

"Well done. However... That I'd all you can do. Clerics who have lost your angels, summon new ones. Focus your spells on Stronoff!"

The heat which had been building in the air immediately cooled off.

"This is bad."

Gazef took down another angel as he muttered to himself. It would seem there would not be any more cheering no matter how many angels Gazef slew, since his men were worrying about the enemy coming at them.

They were superior in numbers, equipment, training, and individual ability.

The sole weapon of Gazef's beleaguered men — their hope of victory — was gone.

After unconsciously evading an incoming sword, Gazef counter-attacked, and destroyed an angel in one hit. However, the enemy he was aiming for was still far away.

Although his subordinates hoped otherwise, they needed magic weapons to break through the angels' damage reduction. They did not know how to use the 「Focus Battle Aura」martial art like Gazef could, and without magic weapons, even if Gazef's men could injure the angels, they could not finish them off.

They were at their wit's end.

* * *

Gazef bit his lip, and continued slashing.

His record for the most consecutive uses of his ultimate attack 「Sixfold Slash of Light」, was rapidly increasing.

A warrior like Gazef could use six different kinds of martial arts at once, and combined with his hidden ultimate attack, that made seven martial arts at once.

Until now, he had been using martial arts to improve his physical attributes, fortify his mind, improve his magic resistance, temporarily render his weapon magical, as well as another technique that he used on hitting an opponent. That made five martial arts.

The reason why he had not pushed himself to the limit and used all seven at once was because powerful martial arts depleted one's concentration.

In particular, the 「Sixfold Slash of Light」required three times the focus of his other techniques.

Gazef had two ultimate attacks like this, but he could use them with four other martial arts at the same time.

He could easily defeat an angel with those techniques. But even if he struck them all down, more of them were summoned anew. As long as he did not defeat their summoners, they would could call up more angels to face him. While trying to run the opposition out of mana was an option, Gazef would probably tire before that.

The truth was, Gazef's arms were growing heavier and heavier, and his heart was racing.

「Instant Counter」was a martial art that forcibly corrected the body's balance after making an attack, resetting it to before the blow was struck. While that meant that the practitioner could immediately attack again, the forced reset of the body would place immense strain on it.

「Flow Acceleration」was a martial art that increased the speed at which one's nerves functioned, increasing one's attack rate. However, that technique created fatigue in the brain.

And then, there was the ultimate attack, the 「Sixfold Slash of Light」.

Using them put a great burden on the body, but without then, he would have no chance at all.

"Bring them all on! Your angels are nothing!"

His fearsome shout startled the Theocracy troops, but they soon recovered and renewed the offensive on Gazef.

"Pay him no heed, that's just the roar of a caged beast. Don't worry, deplete his strength bit by bit. But don't get too close. That beast's claws are long and sharp."

Gazef glared at the man with a scar on his face.

If only he could defeat him, he could turn the battle around. The problem was the other angel near him, different from the ones with the flaming sword. And then there was the great distance between them, and the several layers of defenses in the way.

They were simply too far apart.

"The beast is about to make a break for it. Show him the meaning of the word 'impossible.'"

The man's calm voice only served to aggravate Gazef further.

Even if he stepped into the realm of heroes, Gazef could not win with his refined melee techniques alone.

 _Still —so what?_ If that was the only road available to him, then he would have to charge down it with all his might.

As the strength returned to his eyes, Gazef began his charge.

However, the road ahead was hard, like he had expected.

The angels loomed before him, one after the other, swinging their swords of scorching red flame. As he had evaded and counterattacked and destroyed angels one after the other, Gazef suddenly felt an intense pain. It felt like he had been struck hard in the belly.

As he looked in the direction of the pain, he saw a group of magic casters casting a spell of some sort.

"Well, if you're priests, you should act like it. How about a little healing over here!?"

As though to answer Gazef's jibe, an invisible force smashed into Gazef's body.

Though the enemy used invisible attacks, Gazef was confident that he could avoid them by reading traces in the air and the looks on his opponent's faces. That might even have worked, if there were only a few of them. However, against thirty of those attacks, there was nothing he could do. Just keeping his sword in his hands was taking all his strength.

The pain filled his whole body. He had no idea where it was coming from, only that it was so great it almost made him collapse.

"Gahaah!"

The taste of steel welled up in his throat, and Gazef spat a mouthful of fresh blood. The sticky ichor welled out of his mouth and stained his chin.

Gazef's legs were shaky after that barrage of invisible blows, and now an angel was swinging its flaming sword at him.

He could not avoid the blow, and it struck his armor. Fortunately, it deflected the sword, but the impact travelled through the breastplate and deep into his body.

He swung wildly at the angel, but his poor balance meant that the angel easily evaded the attack.

Gazef's sword trembled in his hands as he gasped for breath.

The fatigue that filled his body seemed to be whispering into his ear, telling him to just lie down and rest.

"The hunt has entered its final stages. Do not let the beast rest — order your angels to attack consecutively."

Even though Gazef desperately wanted a moment to recover, the angels surrounding him obeyed their masters and mercilessly attacked him, one after the other.

He somehow evaded the attack from behind, and parried a thrust from the side. He used the strong angles of his armor to deflect an angel's charge from above.

Gazef wanted to counterattack his foes, but he was greatly outnumbered.

As his strength diminished, he could only take out one opponent at a time, since he lacked the stamina to use martial arts. as his subordinates fell one by one, the enemy's attacks were concentrated on him. With no way to break through the enemy's encirclement, he felt death closing on him.

His concentration faltered, and he nearly fell to one knee. He desperately tried to refocus so he could fight.

The invisible impacts came again, striking the tottering Gazef.

The world before him shook mightily.

 _Not good!_

Gazef used all of his strength to try and maintain his balance. However, something seemed wrong with his body, and the strength that should have held him up was nowhere to be found.

The itch of touching grass spread through his body, and Gazef realised that he had fallen.

He struggled to rise again, but his body betrayed him. The angels' swords meant death for him.

"Now, finish him off, but do not send one angel. Use them all to ensure he is dead."

Yes, he was dead.

His well-trained hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he could not pick up his longsword. Even so, he could not give up.

His gritted teeth made creaking sounds.

Gazef was not afraid of death. He had taken many lives in the past, so he was prepared to meet his end on the battlefield.

Like he had told Ainz, he was hated by the people. That hatred became a sword that would one day pierce his body.

But he could not accept an end like this.

They had attacked several villages and murdered defenseless, innocent villagers, all to lure Gazef into a trap. He could not allow himself to die at the hands of honorless dogs like this, and he could not bear his powerlessness.

"Gaaaaaaah! Don't look down on me—!"

He shouted with all the strength in his body.

Blood dribbled out the side of his mouth as Gazef rose to his feet.

A man who should have been powerless to stand now stood proudly, the mighty force of his presence forcing the angels that surrounded him.

"Haaa—! Haaa—!"

Just getting to his feet had him panting heavily. His mind was a blur and his body felt like it had turned to mud. But he could not lie down. If he lay down, all would be lost.

This little pain he felt could not compare to the suffering of the dead villagers.

"I am the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom! I am a man who loves and defends his country! How can I lose to bastards like you who stain my country with your footsteps—!?"

He was certain that great man would protect the villagers.

Then, what should he do was defeat as many of the enemy as he could, so the people would not meet the same fate as all the others.

Protecting the future people of the Kingdom. That was all he wanted to do.

"...You will die here because all you can do is babble that nonsense, Gazef Stronoff."

Gazef glared at the enemy commander as his cruel mockery reached his ears.

"If only you had abandoned these villagers on the border, you would not be dying here. You probably don't know, but your life is far more valuable than even a thousand of these peasants. If you truly love your country, you should have abandoned them to die."

"You and I... Will never see eye to eye... Let's go!"

"What can that body of yours do? Cease your pointless struggles and lie down quietly. As a final act of mercy. I will kill you without drawing out your suffering."

"If you think... I'm helpless... Then why don't you come... Take my head? It should be easy... If I'm like this, right?"

"...Hmph. You're all talk. It looks like you still want to fight. Do you think you can win?"

Gazef simply stared straight ahead, his hands trembling as he gripped his sword. He focused on the enemy in front of him, ignoring the angels surrounding him.

"...What a pointless effort. Truly, you are an idiot. After we kill you, we will then massacre the villagers you saved. All you have done is brought them a fear filled stay of execution."

"Kuh, kuh... Kuku..."

Gazef was smiling happily.

"...What's so funny?"

"...Hmph, you fool. In that village... Is a man who is stronger than me. His power is unfathomable, but he could take you all out by himself... Trying to kill... The villagers he protects... Is impossible for you."

"...Someone stronger than the Kingdom's greatest warrior? Do you think boasting like that will do you any good? You truly are an idiot."

Gazef was still smiling. What kind of look would Nigun have on his face when he met that inscrutable man called Ainz Ooal Gown? Seeing that would probably be the best gift Gazef could receive before heading off to the afterlife.

"...Angels, kill Gazef Stronoff."

Countless wings moved in response to that cold, cruel order.

Gazef steeled himself, preparing to run forward, when suddenly a voice came past him.

— _Die._

The angels that were supposed to be charging at him were cleaved, bisected, sliced, diced, and all manner of things related to those. Then, they all dissolved into motes of light. As if someone killed them all in an instant.

Gazef looked around, dumbfounded as he saw that which was unbelievable in his own eyes.

 _The angels... They were... All killed. Just like that?_

The enemy were flabbergasted, who could do such a thing in an instant? That goes beyond common sense!

The enemy commander as well looked shocked, before turning to Gazef.

"You! What did you do!? Was that one of your martial arts, Gazef Stronoff!?"

Gazef did not answer. He, as well, was shocked at all just happened now. Who could do such a thing?

"Good grief, I've recently thought it won't work. But then again, after seeing how it worked, it's no longer a problem, it seems."

 _That voice._

He heard, and recognized that voice. It belonged to that great man!

Gazef turned around, and saw what he thought he was a different person.

He wore a black-hooded cloak, blue-colored robes with white cloth serving some sort of shoulder pads and breastplate, and he also has a matching colored baggy pants with thick boots to cover his feet. He seemed like a different person. But it all changed when he spoke:

"I am deeply sorry it took so long, Warrior-Captain-dono. I was doing some preparations before coming here, but seeing the state as you are now. Please take my sincerest apologies for not coming here early to your aid."

 _So... He did came..._

It was more than enough for Gazef to take it as an apology. With a strained voice, he said:

"...Take no mind, Gown-dono... But may I ask... What are you wearing?"

"Ah, this... I'll explain to you later, Warrior-Captain-dono. It would seem your wounds are gravely severe."

"Heh... You got that right..."

"...Then let me handle this threat, Warrior-Captain-dono. I think it's time for you take a break."

Ainz Ooal Gown moved forward. Before he moved past Gazef, he put his hand on Warrior-Captain's left shoulder.

Gazef suddenly felt a soothing, green light enveloped his body.

He could feel his strength returning— no, it felt he had gotten stronger than before. It was almost as if the magic he used had strengthened his body to new heights. Not only that, he could feel open wounds closing, his fatigue practically nonexistent.

Gazef looked at Ainz in awe at what he did. It was almost as if he used healing magic. But he wasn't he supposed to be an arcane magic caster? Surely what he had just used right now, magic that only priests and clerics could use, right?

Nonetheless, his curiosity took over him like a storm destroying a poorly built house. Before then, he asked:

"Gown-dono... What did you do?"

"Hm. No, it was nothing. Pay it no heed, Warrior-Captain-dono. I suggest you should go somewhere in a safe distance. One of my subordinates would be arriving shortly after."

"...I see... Best I should be going then, Gown-dono."

Ainz nodded, and turned around to see his would be opponents.

Gazef sprinted toward a safe distance around 50 meters, he was surprised he made it there in just an instant. Taking note of his increase in speed before turning back to the battlefield.

No, it will not be a "battlfield," the appropriate way to say was "soon to be killing zone."

The Six Scriptures. They were an enemy that even Gazef Stronoff, the strongest warrior in the region, could not hope to defeat.

Yet, he could not even begin to imagine that Ainz would lose.

* * *

There was a trace where the intense battle that had taken place earlier in the plains.

The light of the setting sun covered up the blood staining the grass, and the stench of blood was blown away by the wind.

There was a lone figure on the plains who had not originally been part of the battle.

Nigun of the Slaine Theocracy's special operations unit — the Sunlight Scripture — looked at him with perturbation in his eyes.

He was dressed seemingly like an arcane magic caster. He wore an evil-looking mask to hide his face, and a pair of iron gauntlets on his hands. He wore a jet-black cloak, expensive-looking bluish robe with white cloth that seemingly serves as his shoulder pads and breastplate. Suggesting he was a person of some status.

The beleaguered Gazef had distanced himself around 50 meters behind the man in an instant. His men still laid down on the ground, seemingly motionless. The angels that were mysteriously destroyed had been replaced by newly summoned angels.

Nigun called the newly-summoned angels back, ordering them to form a defensive perimeter on their side. His assiduous gaze studied his movements, and then the magic caster stepped forward:

"Please to meet you, gentlemen of the Slaine Theocracy. I am Ainz Ooal Gown. I would be glad if you could call me Ainz."

He was some distance away from them, but the wind carried his voice over clearly.

Nigun did not respond, and thus the mysterious man called Ainz continued:

"I would like to make a deal with you. Might I have a moment of your time?"

Nigun tried to attack some meaning to the name Ainz Ooal Gown, but it was no use. It might be an alias. Perhaps trying to glean some information from him would be more productive. With that, Nigun raised his chin, indicating that Ainz should continue.

"Wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. Then, I would like to start by making one thing clear to you gentlemen. That would be — there is no way you can defeat me."

He could hear the absolute confidence in that statement. This was no bluff or a boast. This was something that the man Ainz Ooal Gown believed from the bottom of his heart.

Nigun furrowed his brows.

In the Slaine Theocracy, nobody would dare speak in such a way to their betters.

"Ignorance is truly deplorable. You will pay the price for your foolishness."

"...Really now. Do you really think that will happen? I observed your battle earlier, so my presence here would indicate that I am confident of victory. After all, if I was not sure that I could beat you, would it not be wiser for me to leave that man to die?"

He was right.

An arcane magic caster would be better suited to different kinds of confrontation. Arcaners, sorcerers, and wizards could only use light armor, so they would want to avoid melee combat, using 「Fly」to repeatedly launch 「Fireballs」and other such spells from afar. Yet Ainz had chosen to face them head-on. He must have a trick up his sleeve.

After a period of silence, Ainz spoke again:

"I have a question for you, if you understand it. The angels you have brought with you should have been summoned by third tier magic. Am I correct?"

He was stating the obvious.

Ainz went on, ignoring Nigun's puzzled expression:

"The monsters you summoned are similar to those in YGGDRASIL, so I was curious as to whether the names were the same. Many of YGGDRASIL's monsters were derived from mythology... Monsters like angels or demons should be no exception. Said angels and demons are most commonly associated with Christianity, but it seems quite unnatural that something called an archangel exists in a world without Christianity. That would mean some like myself must exist in this world."

Nigun had no idea what Ainz was talking about and his ire was rising. He asked:

"That's enough of your self-absorbed prattle. Now tell me; who is responsible for killing those angels?"

"It was me."

"...What?"

Nigun had not expected Ainz to answer. He thought of why Ainz would say that and replied:

"How foolish. Even if you tell a lie like that, a quick search of the village will—"

"—It's not a lie. I merely answered your question. Well, there is another reason for why I answer your question."

"...Could it be that you want to beg for mercy? If you help us save some time, I can consider it."

"Nonono... Well... The truth is. I overheard your conversation with the Warrior-Captain. What a lot of balls you have."

Ainz's tone changed suddenly, and he continued speaking as he looked at the mocking Nigun.

"To think you would dare say that you would massacre the villagers that I, Ainz Ooal Gown, took the time to personally rescue. I cannot think of anything that is more offensive than that."

Ainz's robe rippled in the wind. That same wind blew across Nigun and company.

The cold wind just happened to be blowing from Ainz's direction, but Nigun hurriedly brushed away the phantom image that loomed in front of him. Yes, that vision of death before him must have been an illusion.

"...What, what do you mean by 'offensive', magic caster? What of it?"

Although he was obviously frightened, Nigun did not change his mocking tone.

He was the commander of one of the Slaine Theocracy's secret weapons, the Sunlight Scripture. How could he be afraid of a single man's name? It was impossible. It could not be possible.

Yet—

"I mentioned a deal earlier. These are the terms. You will hand your lives over to me without resistance. In exchange you will not have to suffer. However, if you put up a fight, then the price you fools shall pay is to die in despair and suffering."

Ainz took a step forward.

It was just a single step, but Ainz's body seemed to swell massively before their eyes. Cowed by him, the men of the Sunlight Scripture reflexively took a step back.

"Ahh..."

Several hoarse cries came from around Nigun.

They were cries of fear.

His presence was filled with an unimaginable power. This was the first time Nigun had been faced with such might. Therefore, he could understand his men's fear.

Nigun was a powerful individual himself, a veteran of many battles who had grazed the edge of death countless times, who had taken many lives. He could feel the might radiating from the mysterious magic caster, an oppressive, potent pressure. It must have been worse for his men.

 _What kind of being was he?_

What was the true identity of this magic caster? Who was the man beneath the mask?

Once more, Ainz ignored Nigun's panic and spoke coldly:

"That is why I did not lie to you and answered your question honestly. It is because there is no point in lying to those that are about to die."

Ainz spread his arms and took another step forward. He looked like he was about to hug them, but his evil-looking fingers reminded then of a lunging monster.

A thrill of cold ran from the bottom of Nigun's feet to the top of his head. He had felt this countless times in his struggles along the edge of life and death. It was a sign of impending doom.

"Have the angels charge him! Don't let him close!"

Nigun's voice broke slightly as he shouted his orders. It sounded more like a scream.

It was not to raise his men's spirits. He was simply afraid of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Two Archangel Flames flapped their wings in response to Nigun's command, launching an attack.

The angels flew straight up to Ainz, and stabbed at him with their flaming swords.

Gazef, who was in a considerable distance, should have blocked that attack. Considering his display of speed earlier when he was distancing himself. And so all of the Sunlight Scripture, who had been predicting that course of action, could not believe their eyes. It was not that anything happened. On the contrary—

Nothing happened.

Indeed, the man called Ainz Ooal Gown took no action. He simply allowed the angels to run him through. He did not dodge, block, cast a spell, or have Gazef intercept it. Nothing happened.

Their shock became their mockery.

The act, pretending to be some mighty figure, was nothing but a bluff. It was not that Gazef did not wish to block it, but that Gazef could not respond in time to the high-speed attack of the Archangel Flame. Now that the truth was out, he did not seem anything special at all.

His men breathed sighs of relief. Nigun, who felt quite silly for being so afraid, turned to Gazef.

"How unsightly. To think he would try to scare us with a bluff..."

Suddenly, a question came to mind.

 _Why was Ainz's corpse not falling?_

"...What are you all doing? Call back the angels. He can't fall down with those swords stuck in him."

"But, but we've already given the order."

His subordinates' confused voices startled Nigun, and he looked at Ainz again.

The angels were desperately flapping their wings, like butterflies caught in a spider's web.

The two angels slowly moved to the side. However, their movements were very strange. It looked as though someone was pushing them aside.

Following that, the body of Ainz — had been blocked by the angels — appeared once more from the gap between them.

"...I told you, didn't I? There is no way you gentlemen can defeat me. Shouldn't you heed the warnings of others?"

The calm voice filtered into Nigun's ears.

He could not comprehend the sight before him.

He was stabbed through the chest and abdomen, but Ainz was still standing, as though nothing were wrong.

"Impossible..." one of Nigun's subordinates moaned, giving voice to the words in Nigun's heart.

Judging from the angle the angels' swords, they had to be fatal wounds. Even so, Ainz did not seem to be in any pain.

That was not the only shocking thing.

Ainz was gripping each of the angels by the throat. The angels struggled against him, but Ainz did not let them go.

"Impossible..."

Someone was muttering to themselves. Angels summoned from magic had bodies created from their summoners' mana, so they were definitely not light. They weighed more than a grown man, and then there was the weight of their armor to consider as well. There was no way they could be lifted by the throat so easily.

Granted, a well-trained warrior, with a stout and muscular body, might be able to do it. But the man before him, Ainz, was a magic caster who should have focused on training his intellect and arcane powers over honing his physique. Even if he were enhanced by magic, he would not be able to do anything if his base strength was low to begin with.

 _Then, why was this happening? Why did he seem completely unfazed, even after being impaled?_

"...There must be some sort of trick."

"Ah, definitely, how could anyone be fine after being run through by a sword?"

Panic and fear spread through the Slaine Theocracy's special forces unit. They were all veterans of numerous battles and had experienced many dangers in the past, but this was a sight they had never seen before. Not even the angels that Nigun could summon were capable of such a feat.

The doubtful mutterings about how he did not seem to be in pain and was speaking normally crept into Nigun's ears.

"High Tier Physical Nullification — a passive skill that negates the attacks of weapons with low data content and low tier monsters' attacks. It only protects against attacks of up to 60. But it appears to have increased around 80 — in other words, attacks above level 80 can harm me. It is an all-or-nothing ability... To think it would actually see use here. Well then... These angels are in the way."

Holding an angel in each hand, Ainz slammed them both into the ground. There was a thunderous crash, and the earth trembled from the impact — a testament to Ainz's supernatural strength.

The angels died instantly, reverting to countless dancing motes of light which vanished into the air. Of course, the swords stuck in Ainz vanished as well.

"If I learn how you named these angels, I can understand how you can all use spells from YGGDRASIL. But let us leave this aside for now."

As Ainz slowly straightened up, he was still talking about things which nobody could understand.

However, that only intensified the Sunlight Scripture's fear of his mysterious power.

Nigun gulped.

"All right, I'll end this pointless games here. Are you satisfied? Since it looks like you aren't willing to accept the deal, then it shall be my turn."

Ainz opened those hands of his, those hands which had crushed two angels to death. He seemed to be showing them that he had nothing in them.

His voice carried clearly through the bone-chilling silence, into the ears of everyone present.

"Are you ready? — It'll be a massacre."

A sudden spike of cold pierced his spine, followed by a surge of nausea. Nigun, the hardened killer who had presided over many slaughter, was now feeling something that he had never felt before.

He had to run. He had no way of beating Ainz, so doing battle with him would be very dangerous.

However, Nigun struggled to shake that feeling away. He had cornered Gazef — how could he watch him get away now?

Still, a warning resonated from the depths of his soul. Nigun shouted his order.

"All angels, attack! Hurry!"

Every one of the Archangel Flames shot toward Ainz like bullets.

"What a lively lot..."

Nigun could hear the cool, calm voice of someone who was being attacked by angels, but did not care. Ainz was surrounded by so many angels that nobody could even see him, yet still his voice did not carry even the slightest hint of worry.

It looked like he would be impaled by countless blades — no, Ainz's spell took effect before that.

"「Negative Burst」."

The air shuddered.

A wave of black radiance erupted from Ainz, like the negative image of a camera flash. It only lasted for an instant, but it had an immediate and obvious effect.

"Im-Impossible..."

Someone muttered those words, carried by the wind. They could not believe what was happening before their eyes.

The angels, over 40 of them, had been annihilated by the black wave.

Their opponent did not used dispel magic to neutralize the summons. The angels that were blown away by the black wave had taken damage. In other words, Ainz had used a powerful spell to wipe out all the angels in one fell swoop.

Nigun could not help but tremble. He recalled the words of the Kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff.

 _"...Hmph, you fool. In that village... Is a man who is stronger than me. His power is unfathomable, but he could take you all out by himself... Trying to kill... The villagers he protects... Is impossible for you."_

The scene before him proved the truth of those words.

Nigun erased those words from his mind, trying desperately to bring himself over.

Nigun knew that the members of the strongest special ops group, the Black Scripture, could also eliminate this many angels. In other words, all he had to do was to treat Ainz as an opponent on their level. While he might be as strong as a member of the Black Scripture, he had the advantage of numbers on his side, so victory was still possible.

 _However, could those members of the Black Scripture take care of all these angels with just one spell?_

Nigun shook his head to clear away his doubts. He could not think of that question. If he got his answer, then he would truly be done for. Therefore, Nigun reached inside his coat, and touched the item within to give himself courage.

He fervently believed that as long as he held it, everything would be fine.

However, his subordinates did not have the same moral support that he did.

"U-Uwaaaah!"

"What, what the hell?"

"It's a monster!"

Once they realized their angels were useless, they wailed and fell back upon the spells that they knew and trusted.

"「Charm Person」, 「Iron Hammer of Righteousness」, 「Hold」, 「Fire Rain」, 「Emerald Sarcophagus」, 「Holy Ray」, 「Shockwave」, 「Confusion」, 「Charge of Stalagmite」, 「Open Wounds」, 「Poison」, 「Fear」, 「Word of Curse」, 「Blindness」..."

All kinds of spells rained down on Ainz.

Yet, even as the storm of magic lashed against him, Ainz was unmoved.

"Well, all of these are familiar spells... Who taught them to you? The Slaine Theocracy? Someone else? There are more and more things I want to ask you now."

Not only could he slaughter all their summoned angels in one move, their spells also incapable of harming him.

Nigun felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

"Hyaaaaah—!"

One of the men screamed wildly as he saw that his spells were ineffective. In desperation, he pulled out a sling and loaded it with a bullet. Although Nigun doubted the effectiveness of such a projectile when even an angel's sword was useless, he did not stop the man.

The bullet that could easily shatter bone sped toward Ainz.

An instant.

It had happened in an instant.

Since they were in battle, they could not take their eyes off their target. However, Ainz — who should have been standing there — had moved in a mysteriously way in front of them. No, it was only the man with the sling who had seen it.

With a speed that the eye could not even see, Ainz held the bullet in his hand as he gave it to man with the sling, and said:

"I think this is yours?"

After that, the man with the sling slowly collapsed to the ground.

"...Huh?"

Nobody knew what happened. They were the ones who had launched the attack, yet the result was completely the opposite — one of them had fallen instead.

One of the men went over to inspect his comrade, and he shouted:

"He's, he's fainted!"

"...What? Fainted... What the hell happened?!"

 _Why did he even faint in the first place?_

Just then, the wind carried a voice into the puzzled Nigun's ears.

"My apologies. It would seem I have scared him a little. I only gave him back the projectile he used with the combination of 「Silent Time Stop」and 「Spatial Time Zone」, which the latter let's the selected party, or person, to freely move around the「Time Stop」effects. It would also seem that I only gave him a little scare before he fainted. What a weak-willed man he is... How unfortunate..."

After his explanation, Ainz paid no attention to Nigun, and he began to muse to himself.

"It would seem my time manipulation abilities still worked, huh? That would mean that's no longer a problem whether or not I could use time-related. Haha, so, that means I could control time anytime I want, then?" (Pun intended).

"Ngk! Puh! Principality of Observation! Get him!"

In response to Nigun's orders, the angel that had been standing by up till now suddenly spread its wings and flapped, propelling itself forward.

The Principality of Observation was an angel in full body armor. It held a mace in one hand and a round shield in the other. A garment that looked like a long skirt covered its legs.

The Principality of Observation was stronger than the Archangel Flames, but it had not been deployed into battle until now because of its special skill. In accordance with its name, the Principality of Observation had the ability to raise the defense of all its allies. However, this ability lost its effect once the angel moved, so the wise decision would be to order the Principality of Observation to hold its ground.

The fact that Nigun had ordered it to attack was a sign that he was grasping at straws. He had to clutch at anything which might turn to be a lifeline, even if it ended up being chaff.

As ordered, the angel drew up in front of Ainz, and raised its shining mace. Ainz nonchalantly reached out his gauntleted left hand to meet the attack.

While it would not have been surprising for that strike to shatter bone, Ainz's hand was fine. He casually took the subsequent hits as they came.

"Good grief... I guess it my turn now. 「Hell Flame」."

A small, wobbling mote of flame emerged from one of the fingers of Ainz's right hand. It looked so feeble that anyone could blow it out if they wanted. It touched the body of the Principality of Observation, and looked terribly laughable against the glittering body of the angel.

But then—

The Principality of Observation was confused by a black fire, so intense that even Nigun, a good distance away, could feel the heat. He could barely keep his eyes open.

The angel's body melted and vanished amidst the the sky-scorching black flames, without so much as the chance to resist. The flames that devoured the angel vanished with their target.

No traces were left behind. The previous scene — that of the angel's attack and the black conflagration — felt like they had been illusions, like they had never happened.

"How, how could this be."

"In just one hit..."

"Hiiiiiiii!"

"Im-Im-Impossible! ! ! ! !" Nigun shouted amidst his confusion.

He did not even know he was shouting. He was simply converting his thoughts into words. It did not feel like shouting to him.

The Principality of Observation was a high tier angel whose offensive and defensive strength were in a 3:7 ratio. It boasted the strongest defense of all other angels in its tier.

In addition, Nigun's natural-born talent, 「Enhance Summoned Monster」, could improve the stats of any monster Nigun summoned. As a result, there were very few people who could defeat a Principality of Observation summoned by Nigun.

Nigun had never seen anyone defeat it with one spell. Even the Black Scripture, whose members' power pressed against the limits of humanity, could not do it. In other words, Ainz Ooal Gown's power exceeded that of mankind.

"It can't be! It's impossible! Nobody can defeat a high tier angel with just one spell! ! ! What kind are you, Ainz Ooal Gown! ! ! ! ? It's impossible that nobody's heard of you before! ! ! ! ! What is your real name! ! ! ! ! !?"

There was no trace of calm left in Nigun, just his wild screaming in the hope of defying reality.

Ainz spread his hands once more. Under the light of the setting sun, they looked like they were drenched in blood.

"...Why do you think it is impossible? Is that not just the result of your ignorance? Or do you mean to say that this is all you know of the world? There is only one thing I can do to answer your question."

Silence reigned in the air as they awaited the answer. Ainz's voice was as clear as a bell:

"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. That is definitely not an alias."

In the face of Ainz's arrogance, Nigun was unable to rebut what he was hearing. It was something he did not understand from a man he did not know. That was the situation he was in.

Nigun was starting to get annoyed by his rapid breathing.

The sound of grass rustling in the wind was annoying too. His heartbeat sounded especially loud. He was breathing heavily, like he had been running for a long time.

Words of reassurance began appearing in his head. However, the sight of Ainz being stabbed with swords, as well as his mass slaughter of angels with just one spell, were telling Nigun something else.

— _That is a monster beyond my wildest imaginings. I could never hope to defeat it._

"Cap-Captain, what, what should we do...?"

"Figure it out yourself! I'm not your mother!"

Nigun managed to calm down after he could no longer see the face of the man he was shouting at.

Losing his cool in front of an unknown monster like this was a very bad thing.

The sun was slowly falling below the horizon, and darkness threatened to swallow the world. It felt like Death itself was opening its maw to devour everything. Nigun tried to force his fear back, and gave an order:

"Protect me! Protect me if you want to live!"

Nigun brought the crystal out in his trembling hand. His subordinates, usually vigorous and nimble, we're chained down by fear and their movements were slow. Even these fearless men would hesitate when ordered to become a shield against a monster like the one which stood before them. However, he had to have them buy him some time, no matter what.

The magic sealed within the crystal could summon the most powerful angel known to man. It was an angel that single-handedly destroyed a Demon God that rampaged throughout the land 200 years ago.

It was an angel of the highest order, that could easily destroy a city.

Casting a spell to summon the angel again required an incalculable amount of money and manpower, but Ainz Ooal Gown, this mysterious being, was worthy of being eliminated by its power. More importantly, it would be worse if the crystal was taken without the spell being cast.

That was what Nigun told himself.

He concealed his fear that he would become a lump of meat like Gazef's deceased men.

"I'm going to summon an angel of the highest order, hurry up and buy me some time!"

Once they realized the truth, his subordinates moved swiftly.

Ainz, who was facing them, should have noticed the flames of hope blazing up. However, he made no move, instead babbling about some nonsense to himself.

"...Could that be a spell-sealing crystal... And from its brilliance, it should be something that can seal anything except a super tier spell. So they have YGGDRASIL item like that as well... That being the case, what kind of angel can they summon... Seraph class? Umu, while I don't think they can bring out a Seraph Aesphere, if they manage to summon a Seraph Empyrean, I'll have to fight a bit more seriously. Or rather... Could it be a monster unique to this world?"

While Ainz held his ground, Nigun ritually broke the crystal in his hand, and a brilliant radiance spilled forth.

A hidden sun seemed to have risen upon the land, dying the grass a blinding light. A dull fragrance filtered into everyone's noses.

The legendary angel descended upon the earth, and Nigun exulted:

"Behold! The glorious visage of the highest angel! Dominion of Authority!"

It was a mass of many shining wings, and among them were a pair of arms that held a scepter, symbolizing royal authority, but neither its head nor legs were visible. Though it looked quite disturbing, anyone could tell this was a sacred being. In the moment it appeared, the surrounding air turned bright and clear.

The advent of this supreme incarnation of goodness drew wild cheers from everyone who saw it. The blood of Nigun's men boiled with excitement.

Now, they could kill Ainz Ooal Gown.

This time, he would be the one to be afraid.

He would learn his foolishness before the power of the gods.

"This... This is it? This is what you call getting serious...? This is your ace in the hole that you were planning to use on me?"

As he saw Ainz's shock, Nigun, who had been extremely uneasy, breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, his heart was filled with joy as he replied:

"Indeed! Your fear is only natural. After all, this is what an angel of the highest order looks like. While using it here seems like a bit of a waste, I have determined that you are worthy of it!"

"How could this be..."

Ainz slowly raised his hand and covered his face. To Nigun, it looked like a gesture of despair.

"Ainz Ooal Gown. The truth is, you deserve respect for forcing me to summon this most exalted of angels. Be proud of your fearsome strength, magic caster?"

Nigun nodded deeply, and continued:

"Personally speaking, I would like to bring you into our fold. If you are really that powerful... However, I am not allowed to do so on this mission. At the very least, I shall remember you — the magic caster who made me decide to summon this mighty angel."

However, the response to Nigun's praise was a cold voice:

"Really... This is ridiculous."

"What?"

Nigun had no idea what Ainz was saying. To Nigun, Ainz was little more than a sacrifice to the highest order of angel, which humanity could not possibly defeat. Yet, his attitude seemed to relax for that.

"I can't believe I was on guard against such child's play... No, it's just that I did not expect this to be all. In some circumstances, it was quite unexpected, to say the least."

Nigun's mind could not keep up with his patronizing banter.

"How can you act like that in front of the angel of the highest order!?" Nigun shouted. He could not believe that Ainz was musing leisurely and completely ignoring Dominion of Authority.

His calm attitude of absolute superiority made the surging joy in Nigun's heart vanish. In its place was terror and unease.

 _Could it be that Ainz Ooal Gown is more powerful than this mightiest of angels?_

"No! Impossible! Nobody can be stronger than the highest-placed of the angels! This is a being which can defeat a Demon God! In the face of a foe that humanity cannot beat — it's a bluff! It must be a bluff!"

It would seem Nigun could no longer control his emotions.

He could not, would not acknowledge this. He could not believe a man who could defeat Dominion of Authority was not only an enemy of the Slaine Theocracy, but was standing right in front of him.

"Use it! Use 「Holy Smite」!"

This was magic of the seventh tier and above, a realm humanity could not reach. Even the large-scale rituals in the Slaine Theocracy could not cast it, but this most exalted of angels, Dominion of Authority, could do it by itself. That was why it was ranked among the highest order of all the angels.

The magic that Nigun ordered to be cast, the seventh tier 「Holy Smite」, was such a mighty spell.

"I get it, I get it. Hurry up and make your move. I won't do anything. That should satisfy you, right?"

However, Ainz's relaxed attitude was like a pedestrian letting another person walk past him.

His casual attitude filled Nigun with fear.

This angel of the highest order had once defeated the Demon Gods of legends. Its omnipotent power was enough to qualify it as the mightiest being on the continent. It was invincible.

 _Yet, if someone could defeat it..._

If the mysterious magic caster before him could do it, it would mean that this mysterious person was a far stronger being than a Demon God.

 _Such a person could not exist._

In response to its summoner's wish to use its most powerful attack, Dominion of Authority shattered its scepter. The fragments rose up into the air and slowly orbited its body.

"I see. So this is a once-per-summoning special skill that it uses to augment its spell power. It would seem this Dominion is about the same as the one in YGGDRASIL."

 _「_ _Holy Smite_ _」_ _._

The spell was cast, and a pillar of light broke through the sky.

With a loud whoosh, a seemingly endless cascade of holy blue-white radiance flooden down from the heavens, submerging Ainz, who simply raised one arm to shade his eyes.

The seventh tier of magic — a height humanity could not hope to obtain.

This sacred power would annihilate all evil beings, and even good entities would meet the same fate. The difference was only if they were reduced to sightless atoms, or if there would actually be remains left behind. This was the awesome power of magic that exceeded the realm of humanity.

 _No, it would be strange if that were not the case._

Yet — he was still there.

Ainz Ooal Gown, the monster, was not blasted into glowing ash, sprawled on the ground, or pulverized into meat jelly, but he was still standing nonchalantly, and even laughing:

"—Hahahahaha, as expected, it would seem my magic immunity have been upgraded... So in other words, I have magical immunity toward seventh and eighth tier magic... As well? I see, I see! Still, it's still quite nice to see my mind is clear, and my ability to act is not affected at all."

The pillar of light vanished. It had not had any effect.

"Wonderful, I've concluded another experiment."

 _His voice sounded indifferent... No, it would be more accurate to say that he was satisfied._

Nigun and company thought that way, and the smiles on their faces froze.

They're doomed, aren't they?

"Now then, I'm sorry you had to wait for so long."

Nigun, who was stunned by his easy-going attitude, finally managed to recover enough of his senses to shout:

"I know it... I know your true identity! — Demon God! You must be a Demon God."

There were scant few intelligent beings that Nigun knew of, which could stand on par with the highest tier of angels:

The Six Gods which Nigun believed in.

The kings of the mighty draconic races — the Dragon Lords.

The legendary monster who could destroy an entire country — Landfall.

And one more — the Demon Gods.

He ages heard that the Thirteen Heroes had defeated and sealed away the Demon Gods. Judging by that display of power earlier, that must have been a Demon God using his unholy power.

At the same time, Nigun had the faint hope that if he was a Demon God, then Dominion of Authority might still have a chance to win.

"One more time! Use 「Holy Smite」!"

Ainz said that he was immune to that spell. That might be a lie, and had been injured. It might mean it was a bluff, and he had trouble just standing up.

Countless "mights" popped up in Nigun's mind. Without them, he would go mad.

However, Ainz would not permit a second attack.

"...Now it's my turn..."

Ainz had suddenly appeared behind Dominion of Authority. With a sword, mysteriously on hand.

"Know despair. 「Kyusen-bai no Hikari Surasshu: Kei Rendingurūru」."

At first it was nothing, almost as if nothing happened on the Dominion of Authority. But then, it happened, and it happened so suddenly.

Dominion of Authority's body was sliced into pitiful nine thousand pieces before it dissolved into countless motes of light. The display was like it was snowing, with the motes of light as snow flakes.

As the radiance of Dominion of Authority vanished, the light drained from the surroundings.

"Who... Are you..." Nigun asked these these impossible being again. "I have never heard the name of the magic caster called Ainz Ooal Gown before... No, there can't be someone who could destroy the highest ranked angel with such power! Someone like that should not exist..."

Nigun shook his head powerlessly.

"All I know that you are far beyond a Demon God... This is unbelievable... Who exactly are you..."

"...Like I said, I am Ainz Ooal Gown. In the past, there was nobody who did not tremble at this name. Well, I guess we've spent enough time on idle chatter. Going on would be pointless. Also, just so we don't waste each other's time, there is an anti-teleport effect surrounding me, and my subordinate is waiting in ambush. You have nowhere to run."

The sun set completely, and darkness swallowed the land.

Nigun knew that this was the end. This was an unassailable reality. Just as his subordinates fell into despair one after the other, cracks appeared in the sky, like the breaking of a pot. They vanished in an instant, and the scenery returned to normal.

As confusion washed over Nigun, Ainz answered:

"Good grief... You know, you should thank me. It would seem someone was using divination magic to keep an eye on you, but because I was in the spell's effective range, my anti-scrying offensive barrier activated, and you were not observed. Really, if I had known, I would have linked a higher tier attack spell to it instead."

Those words filled Nigun's eyes with realization.

The Slaine Theocracy must have been spying on him.

"A widened 「Explosion」might not be enough to teach them how to behave... Oh well, things being as they are, playtime is over."

A wave of cold ran through Nigun as he picked up the hidden meaning in those words.

He, who had always been the oppressor, was now going to become the oppressed.

He was filled with an incomparable fear. The fear that he, who had taken countless lives in the past, was now going to have his own life taken. His subordinates saw his terrified expression and it frightened them as well.

He was on the verge of tears.

He wanted to kneel down and loudly beg for his life, but Ainz did not look like a compassionate man. Thus, Nigun fought back the urge to weep, trying his best to look a way to survive. But no matter what how he thought, he could not think of any way to get help from the outside. Therefore, his only hope was to throw himself on the mercy of Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Wait, wait a bit! Ainz Ooal Gown-dono, no, -sama! Please wait, we, no, I wish to make a deal with you! I guarantee you will not be disappointed! As long as you spare me, I will give you any amount of money you want!"

He could see his shocked subordinates out of the corner of his eye, but they were no longer relevant to him. The thing that mattered now was his own life. Everything else was of secondary importance.

Besides, he could find more subordinates, but his own self was irreplaceable.

Ignoring the countless angry voices of his men, Nigun continued:

"It must be difficult to satisfy the tastes of such a great magic caster as yourself, but I will definitely prepare enough money to please you! I have a position of some power in my country, so they will definitely pay any price to ransom me! Of course, if you desire anything else, I will do my best to meet your wishes! So I beg of you! Please spare my life!"

Nigun panted as he finished his monologue.

"What, what about it? Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!"

A dramatic, firm man's voice responded Nigun's plea:

"Did you not reject the offer of the Supreme One, Ainz-sama?"

Nigun turned around, and saw who was the owner of the voice that responded him.

His face was flat, like that of a mask. He most likely wore a mask due to the three round circle that made up to his face. He's clothes and cap looked too similar to that of a high-ranking officer in army. But the most surprising of all, is how he got here?

"That is!"

"...I know what you want to say. You wanted to beg for your life because accepting his proposition would also mean your death. Am I right?"

The egghead shook, as though it was tired of talking.

"You seem to have gotten the wrong idea. Since, Ainz-sama, mein Schöpfer, who hold the power of life and death within the palms of his hands, has stated his will, people who deserved such punishment like you should be grateful. At least by what he had mind anyway."

This man's forceful words were backed by an adamant resolve.

"W-Who are you!?"

The egghead seemed to pause, before he replied:

"...My name is Pandora Ooal Gown. The son of Ainz Ooal Gown."

Nigun couldn't believe what he had heard right now, this person, no, this monster, in front of him is the son of the damn monster he was trying to beg to spare his life.

 _He's mad. This man is mad._ Nigun, who realized this, looked hopefully to Ainz.

Ainz who had been quietly listening to them. When he realized that Nigun was waiting for his decision, he shook his head in exasperation and said:

"Indeed... It is as he says. Cease your pointless struggles and lie down quietly. As a final act of mercy, I will kill you without drawing out your suffering. And a final word, yes, he is my son."

* * *

 **And cut!**

 ***stayed silent before bursting out of laughter***

 **You see that guys, that was hilarious! *continues laughing before calming down***

 ***sigh* well I hope you guys like that Pandora's Actor changed his name into a fitting one "Pandora Ooal Gown". Hahaha, nope, I'm not joking around, I made my decision to make Pandora's Actor change his name.**

 **As for Ainz, yeah, I also made him tell Nigun that Pandora's Actor is his son.**

 **And before you all screaming "Pandora is a name of girl! Why the hell you name him that!?". For the record, yes, I know Pandora is girl's name. But whatever, it's how I decide, not yours (unless the poll section) and I know a person whose name is Ace. Not from One Piece but an actual person, who is surprisingly a girl around 9 or 10 years old. She's cute and adorable by the way, and I'm a dude for those who don't know yet.**

 **This is after note is commemorate the end of the Great Way (WWI) and hope we don't forget those who died in that war.**

 **The next chapter would feature the epilogue of The Undead King and future events that I'll be hinting there.**

 **gabrielchiong11 out!**


	8. Volume I Epilogue

**Quick note: I'm requesting some suggestion if someone could make a fan-made opening for this fic as well as the ending for it. Soundtrack should be the same as the anime, but other soundtrack can be used as well.**

 **Now, without any further adieu, let's begin.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the elements, and possible future soundtracks used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

As he walked along the night-veiled plains, Ainz raised his head. What greeted him was the beautiful sight of stars in the sky.

Ainz sighed at the scenery for the second time, and then he headed back to the village.

He had gone a little overboard.

As long as Pandora's Actor— no, Pandora Ooal Gown was by his side, he could not afford useless to him. As his creator, and father, he needed to act in a fitting manner in front of his son/subordinate. While he might have gone a bit too far, it still fit the role he was playing.

He did not know if he had passed or failed, but it would be fine as long as Pandora was not disappointed.

Ainz could not see Pandora's expression of, _Damn, mein Schöpfer was so cool, and amazing~_ under his breath. Since he could not tell what he was thinking, he went over the day's proceedings once more.

On a side note, it was pretty bold for his creation to change his name. But still, he had to ask him why he changed his name.

"Pandora's Actor— no, Pandora Ooal Gown. Why did you change your name similar to the name, Ainz Ooal Gown? I suppose there was a reason for it, no?"

Pandora stopped almost as if to think. _Why indeed?_ he might have thought that he could not articulate his feelings at that time, so his creation tried to approximate to his creator:

"It was because I felt it was fitting, mein Schöpfer. It was I could think of as your creation."

"Then why did you declare yourself as my son?"

"...I was trying to please you, mein Schöpfer. But may I ask, am I worthy to be called as your son? Why did you even declare me as your son, earlier?"

Now it was Ainz's turn to pause to think, _Why indeed?_ This was a type of question that goes back and forth with the questioner becomes the questioned one, and the questioned one becomes the questioner.

Ainz could only laugh at it for a bit, and replied:

"The same as yours, it was because because I felt it was fitting. Heh, now we're practically even."

"Is that so? Then, am I really be worthy to be called as your 'son?'"

"Uh... Er... Yes, I suppose... Ahem, you could also call me as your father... Son."

Pandora seemed to perked up and said:

"Really!? Thank you father! I will remember this for the rest of my life, as your _son_!"

"Er... Uh... Your welcome... My son."

That sounded like a question more than a reply from the appreciation his creation gave him. Come to think of it, is there someone who he forgot to mention?

 _Ah, yes. The Warrior-Captain, I almost forgot about him. Well, I think it's time to return to the village._

During one of his thoughts, there still something he can't do about. Measuring power levels.

Without a device to measure power levels, how could they compare how strong they were.

In YGGDRASIL, one could determine the strength of an enemy by the color of their names. Beyond that, one could only rely on information from one's friends and walkthrough sites.

Ainz could not help but feel nostalgic.

 _If only I had learned some divination-type spells_ — Ainz thought, with a hint of regret. Of course, he did not know if those spells could be used here. However, if he could, then he would not have to be nervous as he was now.

Still, there was no point worrying about what he did not have. Ainz decided to think of a solution.

Then it came to him. An idea that he did not thought of, a skill or ability that certain anime and manga used by most authors in some genre he forgotten about it till now. It would be interesting to try out.

"...Pandora, let me ask of you, and I trust you you could do it. Could you mind concentrate on something like my power level using only with your mind. It is only an experiment that I would like you to try on me."

"...Why do you want me to do it, father?"

"Uh... Um, it's only an experiment. It would help us exceedingly in the future, but other than that, I would also be doing the same thing to you as well. I'll be disabling my anti-scrying offensive barrier just in case."

"I see... If that's the case... Wish me good luck, father!"

He saluted at Ainz before doing he was ordered to do.

Pandora went silent, as if deep in a trance. It went for a second to a while for Pandora to make an incoherent scream:

"What is it!? It's been 10 minutes!" Ainz shouted, he wanted to know why Pandora was screaming all of a sudden.

"IT'S AMAZING, FATHER!" Pandora shouted, like he was in a noisy crowd, "I COULD FEEL ANYTHING! I FEEL SO ENLIGHTENED! TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN KNOW EVERYTHING!"

"Calm down, and talk to me normally, Pandora! The Warrior-Captain and the villagers have probably heard your screaming by now!"

It only took a while, around ten to twenty minutes, before Ainz have managed to calm Pandora down. He could see Pandora was breathing heavily, almost as if he was running for a long time.

"My apologies, father... It would seem my excitement had overtaken me."

"...Then, don't do it next time. You almost gave me a sense of fear when you screamed all of a sudden. Now, tell me, did you sense someone's power level using only your mind?"

Pandora excitedly nodded, and replied:

"Yes, father. I could sense how powerful they were, and it's amazing! How, you may ask, father? It's simple, all you had to do is, first, close all of your senses for a bit. Second, use the said closed senses in one concentrated sense or focus. Third, focus on your surroundings. Fourth, is you try to get a grasp of something trying to enter your head, and then, there you have it."

 _...Eh? really? Was that actually easy?_

Ainz had no actual idea that his creation could actually do it for 10 minutes. For a second there, he had doubted Pandora's ability to do things.

"...Then let me try, Pandora. And no disturbing me when I am doing it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father. I'll wish you good luck as well."

Looking at his son for a moment, Ainz nodded before he tried to do what Pandora had explained earlier.

 _So, first, I'll have to do is to close all of my senses, right?_

Ainz began to do the procedure as he closed his senses. It was immediate, almost as if he had done this before.

Sealing off the five senses. The sense of taste, hearing, feel, sight, and smell. Ainz felt he was in another world, filled with absolute darkness with nothing to feel, hear, taste, see, and smell. If any sane person were to be here, they would have certainly gone insane for a few minutes in this absolute darkness.

But not for him, he was trying to do it for his and Pandora's survival in this world. And so, he began to do the second procedure.

 _Second, is to concentrate the sealed senses to one sense._

Combining the five senses was a bit tricky. All of it were different, and at the same time, feels the same. Almost similar to water and oil, each incompatible with the other, but had similar effect.

Ainz don't know how long he was in here, but then again, he closed off practically all of his senses. So it should stand to reason, how long he was here.

After the second procedure done, somewhat correct or not. Ainz could feel something entering surrounding him.

 _Third, focus on my surroundings._

Ainz began to feel multiple different colors surrounding him. As if it was some sort of message, telling him what each colors mean and do.

The next thing he knew, there was something coming to his head. As if someone was trying to break inside his subconsciousness and tried to devour him.

 _Fourth, try to grasp something that is trying to enter my head._

He reached and felt something, like it was intangible, and yet, he could feel it.

He could feel it's presence, like a newly-born baby, feeling their mother's first touch.

The more he feel it, the more the presence felt much stronger, more concentrated, and more condensed.

He let it envelope his subconsciousness, his well-being, and his personal solitude from the world.

Then, he released his sense of sight, and beheld a sight that no mere person could ever behold it.

His surroundings, filled with different types of color. Signifying the auras of everything around him, and it him really hard.

"Amazing..."

Ainz could not hold back his awe at the sight he was witnessing right now. It was almost as if he beheld a secret plane of reality, hidden away from the real world.

Ainz then remembered something. In YGGDRASIL, one could determine the strength of the person just by seeing the color of their names.

In this case, Ainz could determine their strength by their aura. Not only that, he could tell how strong a person was just by concentrating his or her aura. Though he wondered if inanimate beings, for instance, Automatons and Golems, can be sensed by their auras. He'll probably check on it in a later date.

Other than that, he could feel his and Pandora's aura engulfing the surrounding area. If someone sensed it, they would be suffocating just by standing there in front of him and Pandora.

Ainz then tried another experiment. He concentrated on his aura, trying to suppress it to minimal levels.

He did it in a mere second.

Pandora could feel his father's aura being suppressed, and turn to see Ainz. Who had noticed him immediately and replied:

"Don't mind it Pandora. I was just testing if it was possible to suppress ones power just by their will alone. It would seem it had worked perfectly as I expected it would be.

"Is that so... I see... I'll have to do same as well. But may I ask, is there any possibility that anyone can sense like us?"

"...It is possible, Pandora. We have to be wary about them, who knows? We might come across someone who could sense our auras. It would be best to suppress it to minimal levels, just in case if it were to happen."

The last thing they have on their plate, is someone who could sense just by their auras alone. It would be annoying if they sensed them without the use of divination-type magic, and they could just lock on onto their auras.

Ainz had several items that can completely hide ones aura just by wearing it. But, it would be very suspicious if someone can't sense their auras. Especially when he or she is a renowned sensory-type figure.

Nonetheless, he then said to Pandora:

"...Let's go, Pandora. Let's head back to the village."

"Yes, sir."

Ainz let it slide as he continued to the village. Pandora did not say anymore than that and followed quietly.

Once they reached the village, the villagers, led by the Death Knight and the two Principality of Observations, came out to meet them.

They lavished praise and thanks onto them, and Ainz saw Gazef among the villagers.

"Oh, Warrior-Captain-dono. I'm glad you're still all right. It would seem you have made yourself quite well-rested. I do give my sincerest apologies for coming so late, and also for the loss of your men."

"What are you saying? It is I should thank you, Gown-dono. After all, you saved me... Speaking of which, did you kill those fellows?"

Since Gazef had changed his tone somewhat, Ainz decided to nonchalantly inspect him.

Gazef had taken off his armor and carried no weapons on him.

He looked perfectly well, but Ainz noticed Gazef felt more powerful than before. Yet, a fire burned within his eyes.

Ainz admittedly could sense his aura was just as powerful as that of a level 90 player. He have no idea how he got that strong. In fact, it was strange he was moving faster than he displayed before he healed him.

Just by the fact he had estimated his power to be around level 30 before. It would seem his level had increased by three times. He had to investigate this for a while.

Ainz turned away, as though he had seen something brilliant. His eyes reflexively went to the right Gazef wore on his left ring finger.

 _So he was married. It's probably good that his wife won't need to shed tears for him._ As he thought about that, Ainz decidedly to tell him:

"Oh, I only knocked them out cold. They should be around lying somewhere on the ground unconscious."

That was the truth. They had been knocked out with a fist on the head, enough to make them to go unconscious. Ainz had carefully suppressed his strength in order to pull it all off. It was worth it, by the way.

Gazef narrowed his eyes a little, but neither of them spoke. The air between them grew tense.

In the end, Gazef broke the silence:

"Truly amazing. I do not know how I can repay you for your help, Gown-dono. Please, look for me when you come to the Royal Capital. I will welcome you with open arms."

"Is that so... Then, I will have to impose on you when the time comes."

"...Gown-dono, I do not know what plans you have, but would you be willing to travel with us? We will be staying in this village for a while."

"Is that so? Well, I was planning to move on, though I have not decided my destination yet."

"Still, it's already so late, travelling now would be..."

Gazef cut himself off halfway:

"Forgive me, there was no need to worry about a mighty being like yourself, Gown-dono. Then, please seek me out when you reach the capital. My doors will always be open to you. In addition, I am grateful to you for your gift of a full set of equipment from the knights who attacked the village. As well as a huge number of captured units from one of the infamous Six Scriptures. Though we have to cut down some of their numbers."

"...I would like to take at least a quarter of them, Warrior-Captain-dono. I've always been searching for new assistants for quite some time though. It would also be great to have more travelling companions to come with me. After they are thought some new manners."

"...I see... Very well. You have been a great help to us today, especially when you've fought them mostly by yourself though. We could at least give you thirty of them, don't you agree, Gown-dono?"

"Hahaha. I accept those numbers, Warrior-Captain-dono. It would at least lighten up the load your carrying to the Royal Capital, especially when you have their commander and any possible sensitive information he may have on him. In addition, you could use him as evidence that the Theocracy has been committing illegal border crossings as well."

"Not only you've already thought things several steps ahead. You also have a great knowledge about the basic laws in the land, haven't you, Gown-dono. It's quite to see that you are not just a magic caster, but a brilliant strategist and a man who knows the law as well."

His praise seemed quite sincere, Ainz only thought of it as common sense. Since border crossings are one of the many common laws implemented by all nations back in his world. But then again, the Village Chief did gave him some mentions of the laws. Still, he could not help but moved by his praise.

"You think so, Warrior-Captain-dono? I have a friend who is a brilliant strategist back where I came from. I've always admired him for his ability to think things several steps ahead. He was always a better strategist than me, and a good friend to rely on."

"Ah, so that's where your thinking came from, Gown-dono. Still, it's surprising that I haven't heard you and your friend's achievements. But you said your aren't here, that answers most of my questions regarding about you. But then again, you've already earned my trust, and I hope we will see again next time, Gown-dono."

Ainz nodded, and decided that he had taken care of everything he needed to do in this village. There had been more things to do here than he had expected, and had spent more time here than he had planned.

"Let's stay here for a while, Pandora." Ainz said in a voice low enough that only Pandora can hear. He immediately turned around dramatically in response — although there was no need for it in the first place.

* * *

"Hmm... How odd?" the cloaked man muttered, noticing the strange behavior of the group of floating clouds passing by him.

He wore a cloak of pure white, it radiated an air of holiness. He wore a magnificent white academic robe, edged in black and gold. The collar seemed excessively gaudy, but somehow it fit the overall design.

However, the exposed head was a bare skull. Points of dark red glowed in his large eye sockets, and behind that skull glowed a halo of sacred radiance.

Normally speaking, it should be strange for someone who were inspecting this group of clouds who shone very brightly in this dark, desolate world.

Those clouds he saw were a batch of souls that just came earlier after their settlement were raided by some wannabe knights. A human village to be exact. Judging by how they shine brightly, it would seem they died... Happily, it seems.

"Hmm... This is indeed strange. These souls are normally dim when they passed through here. I wonder who used 「Final Farewell」 on them and their loved ones? Hmm..."

It was a special skill used by a rarity of the remaining Overlord family, an undead so rarely seen in the mortal realm. He wondered if some independent undead Overlord in this realm made his way to the mortal realm.

"Shi-sama! Shi-sama!"

"Hm?"

The now-named undead, Shi, turned around, and saw an approaching zombie running toward him.

The Zombie's overall looked like it had come from a certain zombie apocalypse movie that one scratch of it, and the victim would be infected in mere seconds. One single look of this horrifying creature would make the weak of heart run away in fear.

Shi sighed in exasperation as he recognized the approaching zombie, and said:

"What is it now, Jack? Can't you see I'm inspecting an earlier batch of souls that died happily?"

The Zombie stopped running, and paused when he looked at the group of clouds behind Shi. He seemed to stare at it in awe before he completely shook his head, and began to tell him what he came for.

"Shi-sama, I've come to report that there's an unknown structure in the middle of the Poisonous Swamp District. We've also determined its exact location."

Districts are general classification of location that is well known in this world. They were used as a means of an easy-to-know-and-remember landmark that where the souls of the dead go through. For instance, if one died in a swamp-like area in the human world, then they will automatically go to the mentioned Poisonous Swamp District. If someone was evil, they'll go to the district called: Prison District. To put it in simplistic terms, it's also commonly known as Hell.

"...An unknown structure in the middle of the Poisonous Swamp District?"

"Yes, Shi-sama."

"...When did that structure appear?"

"Approximately three days ago, Shi-sama. We have also determined that their fighting prowess are able to easily overwhelm 30 First Tier Rank creatures."

Tier Ranking System was a type of measuring system that measures ones power level, in order to identify and evaluate creatures or beings, and how dangerous and powerful they were. Each Tier Rank was formed by First, Second, Third, and etc. It was further divided to three tiers: Low Tier, Mid Tier, High Tier. If someone were to put it specifically, it would be divided in three classes: Low, Middle, and Top Classes. For instance, First Tier Rank creatures are equal, or slightly superior to an Average Deity to an actual one. If it's a First High Tier Top Class Rank creatures, they were considered to be nearly on the level as Second Tier. Which the latter is vastly superior to First Tier.

Although there was a simplistic version as opposed to the Tier Ranking System. Shi refused such a system and even stated "If one were to use it, they'll be underestimating their enemies just by using that system". Thus, it concludes that Shi used an older, but effective use of the Tier Ranking System. It was still used today as an apparent use of measuring ones power level.

Shi cupped his chin with his left hand. As if he was thinking something suspicious.

"...How did you even know how powerful they were?"

"Uh, er, yes, sir! We were able their strength just by sending a reconnaissance unit of over 30 First Tier Rank creatures... Which we sent without seeking your permission..."

Jack was now sweating bullets, as he felt Shi staring at him blankly. But he knew he wasn't staring at blankly, he was glaring at him. With the perfect veil to cover up his threat.

"...You're an idiot, Jack. A big, fat idiot. You should already know that by now, Jack."

Jack the zombie lower his head in shame. He could feel a powerful pressure weighing him down. Like a mountain suddenly put on his shoulders. He then said in a strained voice:

"I am... Very sorry... Shi-sama... Please... Accept my sincerest apologies."

Jack could hear Shi sighing in exasperation. He knew that he, himself, was one of the most reliable, but idiotic secretary/reporter in this realm. Still, he couldn't blame himself, he was still learning after all.

After moments of enduring agonizing pressure weighing down continuously on him. He could feel the weight on his shoulders lightened up as Shi said:

"...I will forgive you for now, Jack. Be sure not to repeat the same mistake over and over again. Do you understand?"

After hearing those words, Jack fell down to his knees and prostrated at him.

"Thank you, Shi-sama! I won't forget your act of forgiveness on me!"

"...It's fine... Now, stand Jack. After all, First Tier Rank creatures are mostly cannon fodder."

"...Ah, true... But what should we do about the unknown structure in the Poisonous Swamp District?"

"Well, since I'm here, I would like to deploy a team of three Second Tier Rank creatures. Nine would be more than enough to handle it."

"But, but, sir. Don't you think it's a bit too much? Like sending a team of three to nine Second Tier Rank creatures? Don't you think it would be... Um... Overkill?"

"...Then, do you like having me personally go there?"

Jack gulped of what remained of his saliva as a zombie at the mention of Shi going _personally_ to the unknown structure.

First Tier Rank creatures were considered as disposable and expendable by most beings like Jack. It was the common power level to be categorized and the most numerous out of the Tier Ranking System.

There was the Second Tier, vastly more powerful, and less common than the First Tier. They were categorized as a level where they called themselves "Average level". Vastly superior to First Tier.

Third Tier, which is less common than the first two tiers, and was considered as master level. Vastly superior to Second Tier.

Fourth Tier are few, but they were numbered in the hundreds, being more powerful than Third Tier a level in which is considered as genius level.

There was the Fifth Tier, it was considered to be the highest tier rank in the system to be achieved through great experience. They were numbered below the hundreds.

Then, there was the Sixth Tier, which were very few beings have barely made it at this mark. Jack himself was ranked as Sixth Tier, and he was proud of it.

Then, there was the Seventh Tier. A level which was considered as a realm of the Guardians. Beings who served as guards through each of the known realms, they were responsible for guarding their respective realms. There were nine realms in total. One of them was Jormungand, the World Serpent of the Mortal Realm. Though Jack knew that oversized serpent was currently in his Anaconda-sized mode.

Then, there are still the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Tier. The only beings that have made the rank where known as "Lords". Rulers of each of the nine realms they control. Seven of the Nine Lords were ranked around Eighth and Ninth Tier. The seat of "the Lord of the Mortal Realm" was vacant for a _very_ long time now.

The only person to have made it to the Tenth Tier Rank was none other than the person Jack stood face to face. His name, was none other than Shi. The strongest out of the Nine Lords. He has many nicknames. These are the following nicknames that he infamously earned throughout his existence.

Shi, The Shinigami of the Nine Realms and the Nine Lords. The Ruler of Life, Death, and the Universe. The Lord of Lords. The True Lord. And so _much_ more...

Jack knew, if he fought Shi in a one-on-one battle, he would surely be beaten a billion times before it even started.

Even if the other remaining Lords were to fight him together with all their full power, full World-class equipment, allies, soldiers, and every resources at their disposal. They will still be defeated to an inch of their lives, and still have enough power for more. It doesn't matter how much power and numbers they, the other Lords, have in their disposal, they will still be beaten by Shi... _All. By. Himself._

Jack suddenly shook his head, and immediately changed his earlier comment:

"Nononono! I think sending a team of Second Tier Rank beings would be a great idea! Yes, yes, yes! Truly, it would be more than enough, sir!"

If Jack has anything left since before he became a zombie, he would be sweating bullets by now.

"I see... Glad you agreed with me, Jack. Though, personally I would like to go there myself." Jack looked at Shi in shock and with his mouth wide agape, "But then again, sending a team to that unknown structure would be more than enough, and more safe. Don't you agree with me, Jack?"

"Y-Yes, I agree with, you, Shi-sama. But may I ask, how long are they allowed to get prepared?"

"...Ten days. Ten days will be more than enough. And I'll be personally choosing nine Second Tier Rank beings for the job."

"I-I see... There's also another thing I wanted to report, sir."

Shi looked at Jack for a moment, before he asked:

"...What's the report?"

"The report is from... Mirai-sama."

"Hoh? Mirai? As in, Mirai the Kronos Master?"

"Yes, Shi-sama."

Kronos Master, is one of the many types of the rare Overlord family. Kronos Master, as the name implies, are Overlords capable of using time-related capabilities. They were fearsome undead that specialized in that field, there are at least one Kronos Master in each of the nine realms. Mirai, is commonly known to be one of the famous nine Time Lords of the nine realms.

The strongest of Kronos Masters are known to have the ability see the future, which ironically enough, are also known as Prophetic Messengers. They were responsible for bringing prophecies regarding about future events. One of those was the apocalypse known as... Ragnarok.

 _If a Kronos Master was giving a report. Then, that means there's something new. Like another prophecy, I suppose?_

Regardless, if it's indeed from Mirai. Then, it must be important.

"...What is it about? Another prophecy?"

"...Not quite about it, Shi-sama..."

"...What do you mean?"

"...Mirai-sama gave his report about... A disturbance regarding time itself."

If Shi were to have eyes, he'd be blinking three times. Both in shock and surprise.

"What... What does he mean there's a disturbance regarding time itself? Don't tell me someone is attempting time travel? Which one? Dynamic Time Travel? Or Static Time Travel?"

There were two types of time travel. One of them is called Dynamic Time Travel. Dynamic Time Travel is when someone were try to change the past by changing a turning point of history. They could effectively change the reality of the future he/she came from, especially when they could risk themselves losing their existence.

Second, and most complicated of all, is called Static Time Travel. Static Time Travel is when someone were to try to change the past by changing a turning point of history. They could effectively create a new alternate reality instead of changing the future, if they continuously try to change the past many times. Then, new alternate realities are being made. No matter how hard you try to change the past, a new reality will always be ready take its place.

"...He doesn't know, yet, Shi-sama. If it's Dynamic Time Travel, then the Time Traveller has to stay in this timeline not for long. But, if it's Static Time Travel. Then the Time Traveller could have stayed indefinitely in this timeline. However, Mirai-sama could sense one Time Traveller moving in the Timestream earlier. But, based on what he said, the Time Traveller travelled time, rather... Accidentally, it seems..."

"...Accidentally, he says? Hmm..."

Shi cupped his chin with his right hand, and is currently thinking about something.

It was but a moment, when Shi said once more:

"...Call the Lords, excluding the Lords of the Elven Realm, and the Demon Realm. They are not to be informed of it, regardless about their status as Lords of their respective realms. Please tell the Lords that will be going to our meeting will be held in the Realm of Sorcery and Magic."

"Yes, Shi-sama! I'll go inform the Guardians of the aforementioned realms they are guarding, and inform them about a meeting taking place in the Realm of Sorcery and Magic to their respective Lords."

"...One last thing. Do you know the true name of this realm and the Realm of Sorcery and Magic?"

"Uh... Please forgive me, but I... Uh... Do not know any of their true names..."

Jack scratched at the back of his scalp and was currently smiling sheepishly at Shi. Who, in turn, sigh in exasperation.

"You're an idiot, Jack. This realm is called Helheim, and the realm where the meeting is going to be held is called Vanaheim. Now go, and do your job, you good for nothing zombie!"

* * *

Londes Di Gelapo, one of the remaining survivors of the knights that were attacked by the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation, is now currently in shock right now.

In front of him were thirty members of the infamous Sunlight Scripture. They were well-known to be an extermination special ops unit. Londes couldn't believe them if it weren't a certain someone in the group.

And that person, was Erick Di Gelapo. Londes' younger brother who had managed to become a member of the Sunlight Scripture. A special ops unit under the direct leadership of one of the Six Cardinals.

The requirements of joining the Sunlight Scripture was very strict, he knew his younger brother has no special talent to achieve Third Tier magic. Yet, he managed to cast a Third Tier spell with only sheer determination and hardwork. And it was well worth it.

He couldn't be more proud as a older brother who always support his younger brother in times of great need. Such as when their parents died and were forced to live without financial support in the village back in the Slaine Theocracy.

Londes had worked on the field as a farmer back in the days where the two brothers were struggling to live on a poor village near the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It was long ago, Londes couldn't remember what name the village was, but he always wanted to forget the struggles he had faced in that village.

Londes shook off the feeling of nostalgia, and returned what they were supposed to be discussing.

A powerful magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown, and his son, Pandora Ooal Gown, were responsible for their current predicament.

Erick then told Londes on how they encountered this monster of a magic caster that managed to destroy the highest order of the angels, Dominion of Authority. The monstrous magic caster did it so with a Martial Art.

That was impossible, indeed it was true. Martial Arts are well-known to be as Warriors' Magic. Learning a single Martial Art skill will require years of training, and Ainz Ooal Gown is no warrior.

Still, it was strange, really. A magic caster capable of using Martial Arts, that sort of thing are impossible for magic casters. But then again, he's no mere magic caster to be scoff at.

They were inside the warehouse of the village called Carne. This was the place where they commonly used for storing wheat during the harvest season. Ainz Ooal Gown, apparently used this place as a means of holding them as some sort of Prison?

He even heard about the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, Gazef Stronoff, had just left the village mere hours ago. Holding the commander of the Sunlight Scripture, Nigun Grid Luin, as evidence against the Slaine Theocracy. It would seem the plan to eliminate the Warrior-Captain had failed.

When they were still talking things similar to that of earlier, the doors of the village warehouse that held were wide open.

Then came a person, a head shaped like a head, wearing clothes of foreign design, and held a air of authority.

"Good morning, gentlemen! It is I, Pandora Ooal Gown, the son of the man that defeated all of you. And you should already know by his name now."

 _So this is Pandora Ooal Gown. The son of the master of the Death Knight and the Principality of Observation..._

Londes looked at Pandora in awe. The way he moves was like a jester in a court, amusing royalty and other important figures. But his movement weren't solely for those, nay, it was a movement of something large in store of them.

"It would seem you gentlemen knew what is going to happen next. My father, Ainz Ooal Gown, has the power to hold the lives of you people here, and you should already know about it by now."

Londes looked on the ground in shame, his brother told him the deal that best describes as "death without suffering".

They were going to die, aren't they?

"If you think that you're going to die. Then think again." Pandora said, shocking the men inside the warehouse.

 _Huh? What does he mean by that?_

Londes had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, neither does his brother. If they weren't to die, then what?

"My father had proposed an offer that you will all agree on."

"...What is it then?" one of the Sunlight Scripture member, Brakus, Londes believes to be his name, asked about it, in behalf of the men inside the building thought of.

"Serve my father loyally as you have loyally served your rulers. In exchange, you will all live and gain something extraordinary beyond your wildest imagination."

"...And if we refuse?" Brakus, again, asked in behalf of the men inside the building.

"Then you will all die. Simple as that."

Pandora seemed to be make it flat and simple. But, the threat was still evident in his words.

Everyone knew that if they refuse, they will die, and probably be reincarnated as an undead creation of that damned magic caster who controlled the Death Knight.

Still, the idea of gaining something extraordinary beyond their wildest imagination seemed like a dream come true. However, from the stories they heard from their mothers say something, you can't give your souls to a devil in exchange for power.

"...And if you all think that my father would require your souls, in exchange for power. Then think again."

Everyone let out a synchronised, confused "Huh?" at what Pandora had just said. How the hell did he even know what they were thinking about?

"All he asked is for your loyalty. He considered your deaths as wasted potential that needed to grow."

"...What does he mean 'wasted potential'? We, the Sunlight Scripture, have achieved Third Tier magic, magic that only those with talents can possibly achieved. Achieving Fourth and Fifth Tier are only those who are prodigies and geniuses that barely made it to that level. Only one made it to Sixth Tier, and it took him centuries to accomplish!"

"I see... This is new... Very well, if you don't believe me. Then, consider yourselves useful. And before I leave, you gentlemen will have a vote."

"What vote?" another Sunlight Scripture member, other than Brakus, asked.

"Simple. Raise your hands if you agree. If you disagree, you may do the same sign after the first one. You will have one minute to decide, so choose wisely."

 _So this is it, huh? A matter of life and death choice._

Londes, at first, couldn't believe it. Still, he'll have to pick. To live, or to die.

If he agrees he will have to serve that magic caster to who knows how long it is?

If he disagrees, he would probably be reincarnated as a mindless undead that will serve him for who knows how long it is?

Londes looked back at his fellow comrades from the Slaine Theocracy. They seemed very uncertain, they've joined the special ops unit with strict requirements. One of those have faith the god they were serving under. He could feel their conflicted thoughts running through their heads.

It was understandable, really. They were hardened people, who kill without remorse through their experiences, they were professionals, they were supposed to have a good future in front of them. But, the magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown, reduced them nothing but mere men that had gone astray to the path they were supposed to go.

He looked at them once, and they looked back at him.

Londes smiled, it would seem they have made their choice.

"One minute is up! Choose wisely, it would determine whether or not you will live or die."

 _So, this is it, huh? A decision that will determine our fates."_

Londes gave another smile, it will be the only thing that matters now.

"Do you you all, lawfully agree, that you will serve my father loyally and faithfully as you have done to your rulers. Raise your hands if you agree!"

Every _single_ one of them raised their hands.

* * *

Enri Emmott, the elder sister of Nemu Emmott, was in a state of shock.

It was nighttime, clearly it was so. It was commonly dark at this time since the village don't possessed like those from the city.

But now, the village seemed to be lightened up by the use of 「Continual Light」spells, performed by the that great man, and his son, Ainz and Pandora Ooal Gown.

She was surprised, like any other village girls. It was quite the spectacle to see lights that most cities provided during the night. It was sight to behold, in this frontier village.

There was a reason for it, she, and her sister, knew it was for something very important. In fact, it is.

The magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown, their savior, would make an important announcement.

That kind of information gave Enri the chills inside her spine. What kind of reasons that a magic caster, such as, Ainz Ooal Gown, to make an important announcement?

Still, she, and every villagers in Carne Village, have wondered the same thing.

They were gathered in the village square. Awaiting Ainz as they all stood at the bottom of tower that the children used to take cover from the knights that attacked her village.

She remembered that memory, all to well. She could never forget the face that saved her and her sister from the knight.

She promised him that she, and her sister, won't reveal his identity. It was terrifying at first, but he was the one who saved them. It was only to be expected to respect the one who saved, even if they look scary.

She made a small blush at Pandora's figure yesterday. Though it was her first time meeting him, he was really... Cool and amazing...

Her thoughts were soon cut off after a familiar voice rang out:

"Greetings, everyone. It is I, Ainz Ooal Gown, and will make an important announcement this evening."

He said with the voice of a ruler, a dignified person. He held an aura of royalty spreading out of his being. He wore the same clothes that he first came to the village. In his hand, was a staff made out of magnificent gold, with craftsmanship so skillful, it looked as though it was very expensive.

"As you may have know, or guessed, I have 31 men from the Slaine Theocracy. One, is the knights that raided this village, and the rest were from a special ops unit, directly ordered by one of their Six Cardinals to hunt down, and exterminate the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, Gazef Stronoff."

Enri and many other villagers clenched their fists at the memory of the knights that attacked their village. It was still clearly fresh in their minds.

To think they were from Theocracy had changed their hatred from the Baharuth Empire, to the Slaine Theocracy.

After hearing that the Warrior-Captain was being hunted down by them, made their anger more clear than ever. But the question is, why does he even have them? Aren't they supposed to be taken away by the Warrior-Captain?

"As you all may thought, 'why do I even have them? Aren't they supposed to be taken away by the Warrior-Captain?' Yes, what you all thought is true, why do I even have them in the first place?"

She and the rest of the villagers were surprised. How did this great man know what they were thinking about?

"This is why I have something to announce to all of you may be interested. Before I start, you may all voice all of your complaints. Tell me right now, and you will never have the chance to voice it in front of me."

She could hear the voices of the villagers gone silent all of a sudden. It was as if someone silenced them.

A young man, his name was Brandus, she believed to be his name. Raised his hand as high as he can.

If she remembered correctly, he should be the same age as her.

Ainz saw him raised his hand, and pointed at him.

"Yes, you. What do you have to complain about?"

"Why did you not come any sooner? Why didn't you come to save earlier before my parents and my only older sister killed by those damned knights!?"

They could already see him having tears falling freely from his eyes, as he voiced his complaint at Ainz. Who, in turn, went silent as if he was deep in thought.

Enri looked at him with pity on her look. He lost more than hers, she still has her younger sister. However, Brandus lost everything, including his family.

It was but, a moment, before Ainz replied:

"Good question. Why indeed? Was it because I'm not so sure I could handle them? Was it because I was scared? I'll have to admit, I'm a bit more than a coward for hesitating was it supposed to be a decision that will leave me regretting that I haven't save you all."

After hearing those words. She could see Brandus sobbing at that painful memory.

She and the villagers looked at ground. Ashamed that they have to be saved by someone who was trying to avoid inevitable conflict.

It was until Ainz continued:

"...At least they gave their farewell to you."

"W-W-What!?"

Brandus looked confused, how did he knew about his parents and his older sister gave their goodbyes to him before going to the afterlife. He even thought it was a dream.

Enri was surprised too, including everyone in the village. They all thought it was a dream too.

"...They at least gave their final farewell to all of you, in order for those who survived with traumatic experiences to move on and live without mourning your losses. You should already know this, they will always love you and will still looking out for you. Even though they have already passed on this life."

"H-How did you even know this!?"

"...It's because... I've gave them permission to do so."

Brandus looked at him, even more shocked than before. How did he even gave them permission to do so?

It was then, Ainz answered the questions in their thoughts:

"...I have the ability to see and communicate the spirits of the dead. I've started to use this ability to give those souls a chance to give their final farewell to their loved ones." the villagers stared at him with wide eyes. But nonetheless, he continued, "It would be an understatement that I was doing this for the sake of pity."

Enri couldn't believe what she had heard just now. Ainz Ooal Gown, he was not only just a magic caster, but a being who could see and communicate spirits of the dead. What was he? A god?

"...I'm no god, nor some omnipotent being. I'm just someone who always go and do things whatever possible for anyone I came across with. Umu, I think I'm straying away something important. Let's leave for the next complaint next time."

After that, he ended the only complaint voiced by a single villager of Carne Village.

Enri stared at Ainz, narrowing her focus on the figure as he began to perform a series of movements, befitting that of royalty.

With one sentence, only a single sentence made the villagers of Carne Village moved by him, as he loudly declared:

"I solemnly take an oath as I, Ainz Ooal Gown, will hereby proclaim to all of you that this village will be under my protection!"

Enri could feel the beating of her heart, pounding on her chest as he heard his words.

 _It was too good to be true._ She and the other villagers thought of the same thing. It was before Ainz continued:

"However, there will be times that I won't be able to protect this village, and there's also a possibility that there will be many settlements to be protected under my name. I can't be anywhere else at the same time, don't you all agree?"

She and the rest of the villagers nodded, there was no way he could instantly appear to protect them, right?

"This is why I have a proposal to make. All of you will be thought to defend yourselves."

The villagers went silent all of a sudden.

In the wake of this awkward silence, Ainz immediately answered:

"W-Well, it's not like that I want you all to immediately take arms and instantly teach you all how to defend, right? But then again, I did gave an impression that I will, didn't I?"

Everyone nodded, answering his question.

"Umu, I see... Regardless, you will all be thought how to defend, and possibly how to do things offensively. I'm no teacher, I have little to no experience as a teacher. This is why these gentlemen will be your teachers. Please come forth, and show yourselves."

Enri could hear the sound of footsteps, marching behind them.

She turned around, and saw 31 unknown men. They all can be seen within the radiance of 「Continual Light」.

She could see their figures as imposing, but she could see the determination burning like fire within their eyes.

It would seem they have somehow renewed their loyalty as well.

They all turned back as Ainz continued once more:

"These gentlemen here will teach you everything you need to know. Although a majority of which were magic casters, they could at least provide you some basic knowledge, such as writing and many other things in which you were probably not all provided."

It was true, nobody in the village have the same basic knowledge curriculum that the people with money could afford to. It was best to say they were... Lacking... In some departments.

"Training will start in earnest, early in the morning. Dawn should be a good way to start a schedule. Anyways, good luck and hope you will all achieve something great tomorrow. But for now, have some rest."

With that, it ended. Just like that, and it was will worth it.

Nobody knew the events that follow, will lead to life-changing event soon to follow.

This was the start of the legend of Ainz Ooal Gown, and his influence in this world. Unknown to him, this world's name was other than he was most familiar with.

He was one of the nine known realms, and it's name, was Midgard.

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **Before you all going torches and pitchforks at me for making my own power level system. These right here, are things I could clarify to you all about the Tier Ranking System I've just introduced. It's basically a simplified version as opposed of the one I'm using on the story. This is just a comparison only.**

 **First Tier Rank = Level 100**

 **Second Tier Rank = Level 200**

 **Third Tier Rank = Level 300**

 **Fourth Tier Rank = Level 400**

 **Fifth Tier Rank = Level 500**

 **Sixth Tier Rank = Level 600**

 **Seventh Tier Rank = Level 700**

 **Eight Tier Rank = Level 800**

 **Ninth Tier Rank = Level 900**

 **Tenth Tier Rank = Level 1000**

 **Low Tier = Level 10-30**

 **Mid Tier = Level 40-60**

 **High Tier = Level 70-90**

 **Low Class = Level 1-3**

 **Middle Class = Level 4-6**

 **Top Class = Level 7-9**

 **One last thing before ending this.**

 **Requesting all possible good chapter titles and any Overlord soundtrack for making this story more enjoyable and exciting for readers, and any possible interesting suggestions that I would like implement! Soundtrack can be anything if it's Overlord-related!**

 **That will be all for now, thanks for reading. Be sure to leave a review to comment, press the fav and follow button if you haven't. Send me PMs for responses and suggestions for making this story more interesting!**

 **gabrielchiong11 out!**


	9. Volume II Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

The once Supreme Ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had just created a luxurious office.

Said office was filled with tasteful and exotic furniture, every single piece being of exquisite design and decoration. The crimson carpet upon the floor was thick and soft, swallowing the footsteps of those who trod upon it. Flags bearing assorted insignia hung upon the walls in the depths of the room. He had painstakingly recreated it from his memories when Nazarick was not disbanded, and had located it at the bottom of Carne Village.

An imposing mahogany desk sat in the center of the office. Its owner sat behind it, upon a black leather chair.

If one were to describe that man in one phrase — dressed as he was in a long, black robe which seemed to absorb the light — then he would have to be an "Overlord of Death".

His exposed head was fleshless skull. The points of crimson light within its empty eye sockets were blended with faint traces of darkness.

This was the man once known as Momonga, who had now taken on the name of the disbanded guild, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Ainz meshed his skeletal fingers together. The nine rings on those fingers glittered as they reflected reflected the magical radiance of 「Continual Light」spells.

"Good grief... Where shall I go from here?"

YGGDRASIL was a Dive Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game, which allowed its players to immerse themselves in virtual reality and experience their adventures within the game world with their own bodies. It had been eight days since its last day of service — when Ainz had been mysteriously transferred to a new world in the form of his character from the game.

During this time, Ainz had studied the conditions and doings of this strange new world and learned about the various differences between this place and the game world. Now, he was deciding on what he should he do next.

"All things should be proceeding as planned, father." the eggheaded man replied to Ainz's mutterings.

He was an unassuming person in a military uniform, whose lack of facial expressions made him look like he was wearing a mask. His militaristic cap bore a blatant symbol of his service to Ainz, in comparison with the uniform he wore. However, he was obviously not a human being.

His total appearance was three black-colored circles without a nose. His head shaped like that of an egg. In addition, his inhumanly long fingers made his hands looked like that of an abnormal elongation of a human fingers.

"Is that so, Pandora? I am well aware of it."

He was the Area Guardian of the Treasury of the once Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the man once known as Pandora's Actor, had now taken on the name similarly to that of Ainz, Pandora Ooal Gown. He was the Non-Player Character (NPC) who was in charge of guarding, sorting, and managing the treasures of the once home of Ainz Ooal Gown, the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

When Ainz and his guildmates built the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick in the past, Pandora had been created as to work for them as an underling. However, he was now sentient and had pledged hi undying loyalty to his creator and father, Ainz.

While this situation pleased Ainz, on the flip side of things, he had only been a lowly salaryman in his previous life, and so all placed a great deal of stress on him, be it from having to act like a proper master in front of his new subordinates or helping his men in training the villagers the best he could. The latter of which was easy to handle with.

The biggest problem was the sheer lack of information about this new world he currently inhabited.

"...Then, how about the next report?"

"Here, this should be it, father."

Ainz accepted the document from Pandora and immediately began scanning through it. The strange and foreign characters had been written with a fountain pen.

This particular report came from Londes Di Gelapo, one of the 31 men from the Slaine Theocracy.

Ainz had longed since learned the written language of this world a few days ago when he snatched a paper containing the basic alphabetical letters, written by subordinate of this world. He had vigorously analyzed and memorized it with his translation items and his newly discovered sharp memory. The latter of which was just discovered three days ago when he tried memorizing the names of his new subordinates.

It had stated that they had seen remarkable progress with the villagers' training. It also even stated that with his men's newly increased power, they were able go beyond the limits of humanity and have achieved ninth tier. Londes especially had went beyond the realm of heroes.

Ainz nodded. The former men of the Sunlight Scripture's level were formerly 21, and Londes' was previously around 14. But as of strange things have happened, the magic casters' level have increased up to level 63, and Londes about level 42.

To be frank, Ainz had absolutely no idea how they got so strong already. He could feel all his stats been drained to a considerable amount after they had pledged their loyalty to him.

It was very strange. In fact, it actually was. He quickly recovered all of his stats just by absorbing the raw energy from the air. Which he had done so subconsciously.

Pandora had reported to him that the raw energy from the air had been sucked by an unexplainable vortex when he sensed the energy of the air around then being siphoned off quite significantly. Ainz thought of this strange phenomenon as something that he'll need to quickly investigate. But for now, he should put that investigation aside. For now, that is.

On a completely different side note, Pandora had done an aerial search of the forest near Carne Village with taking the form of his friend, Peroroncino. And he had found found a lake among the foothills of the mountain range at the end of the forest. He had not yet made contact with YGGDRASIL players like Ainz, nor had he found any trace of them.

Ainz nodded once more. Relief flooded through him as he learned that he and Pandora had not found the beings in this world of which he was most wary — other players.

"I understand. Tell Londes and the others to continue carrying out my orders."

"Unders—"

A quiet knocking came from the door. Pandora glanced at Ainz's expression, then saluted deeply and headed to the door. After verifying the identity of the visitor, Pandora replied:

"Yamato and Anguirel seeks an audience."

"Those two? That's fine, let them in."

After receiving Ainz's permission to enter, two people with each different armor entered the office.

One of them was a man who wore an armor of that an far eastern design. His undead features visible from his helmet, and the points of crimson behind his empty sockets glowed a menacing brightness. The sword carried from his waist — a Katana — gave off an aura of death each step he made.

He was Yamato, the Death "Samurai" Lord. One of the many types of the Death Lord warrior class. He was formerly an undead known as a Death Knight.

Death Lords were another branch of the Overlord family, their difference between an Overlord and a Death Lord is of a magic caster and a warrior respectively. For instance, Overlord Wiseman is magic using Overlord while the Death Samurai Lord was a warrior type. There were several classification of Death Lords, those were mostly Death Samurai Lord, Death Paladin Lord, Death Sword Saint Lord, and so on...

The weakest of Death Lords were around level 80.

The other was a beautiful woman around in her early twenties. Her long blonde hair was lustrous, and silky, her hair seemingly more beautiful than gold, and it reached down to her waist. She wore a white full body armor, a round shield on her back, and a mace hung around her waist. She also has a garment that looked like a long skirt covered her legs.

Her name was Anguirel, a Dominion of Nobility. One of the types of the Dominion angels similar to that of Authority. She was formerly an angel known as the Principality of Observation.

Dominion of Nobility was a defensive type Dominion Angel. In contrast to Dominion of Authority, Dominion of Nobility has an overall balanced ratio of 5:5 between attack and defense.

These two were formerly level 35 and 22 respectively. And now, their current level was now 105 and 66.

"Greetings, Ainz-sama." the two greeted simultaneously.

"The same to you, Yamato, Anguirel. Why have the two of you come to my office today?

Anguirel with a pleasant expression and smile, she was the first to reply:

"Naturally, it was common sense to come and visit you, Ainz-sama."

While there was obviously no expression on Ainz's skeletal face, the crimson points of light in his eye sockets flared brightly.

At first, he wanted to tell her to disperse the pleasantries, but Ainz swallowed those words. However, he could see Yamato's crimson points flared brightly in a menacing way as he looked on Anguirel's blue eyes, whose angelic pupils glancing menacingly back at the Death Lord.

It was still a smile, and Anguirel's beauty did not diminished in the slightest, but it was no longer a pleasant expression.

Still, Ainz breathed a sigh of relief, because Anguirel was staring at Yamato, and not himself.

"Then, seeing as you have finished your fill, you may leave, _angel._ I have something to ask with Ainz-sama. Would you mind not interfering about what am I about to ask?"

"...It is basic courtesy to greet someone politely before launching into the main issue... Boneheads like you are annoying. Could it be they have nothing inside their head?"

"...Don't you think that head of yours has something inside of it at all? People with thick heads and small brains are hard to comprehend, don't you think?"

"...I'd advise you not to look down on people with thick heads. They're very stubborn by the way."

"...The important thing is whether it can know it is important, and what is not? Compared to what looks like a large head, but the truth is... Well, you know what I mean, right?"

"...Large head? I'll purify you for that, bonehead."

"...Now who's the large head, winged bitch."

The looks on the feuding belles before Ainz could chill a hundred million year old rivalry.

Ainz decided to speak up before the two of them could no longer hold their impulses back and started pulling out their weaponry at each other.

"That's enough, you two. There's only one person who has the advantage in this room if the two of you if you guys were to fight. And you know who that is, do you?"

Their auras of unspeakable killing intent blossomed of that of peace as they heard his command. Their previous murderous aura were gone, and now they were but two punished, behaved children.

 _Those two are scary if I was still in level 100... No, it's just they're like couples who don't know how to love each other..._

After becoming undead, any strong emotions Ainz experienced were immediately suppressed. Even so, he felt that the speed at which they had changed their auras was quite frightening.

The two of them were at each other's throats because they were unlikely partners in crime.

Yamato and Anguirel were both partnered by Ainz. Any person who read any sort of mythology knows that angels and undead don't come to terms very well, just like oil and water.

However, another angel like Anguirel did not see the same way as her. He viewed Yamato as a trusted companion, and had gained the Death Lord's trust very well. And the Death Lord on the other hand, trusted him very well as well.

If anyone who wondered who's that angel he's referring to, it's Anglachel. Anguirel's fellow Dominion of Nobility.

The main reason was because that Anguirel was the angel that accompanied Ainz and Pandora when they still at the forest, while Yamato and Anglachel were sent to attack the knights that were raiding Carne Village. Ainz had decisively thought of pairing Yamato and Anguirel together to see if they are to make a love couple out of them.

In other words, Ainz had shipped both Yamato and Anguirel as a pair.

Ainz shook his head to banish those meaningless memories and replied:

"I ask you once more, Anguirel. Do you have anything else for me?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you could switch this bonehead of an undead to an angel like Anglachel in order to do the task set for me and supposedly for Yamato as well? Since I may not be able to return to Carne for quite a long time. I want someone that I can be most comfortable with."

Ainz remembered that he had given them such a task, and said:

"I see. Then, Anguirel, I will not permit to change the both of you as partners. That is my decision, and take care when accomplishing your task and return when needed."

"Yes." she replied in a rather gloomy voice.

"That goes to the same thing to you as well, Yamato." the mentioned undead bowed deeply, "Then you may all leave. Also, as you guys go, tell Anglachel to send all my men over. Tell them I need to discuss some plans I have in mind with them."

"Understood, Ainz-sama."

* * *

 _I'm sorry,_ a young girl thought sorrowfully as she floated helplessly in a void of pure darkness.

She couldn't forget them. Their cries of undeniable surrender against their unstoppable foes still rang out to her mind. Their cries for her to flee somewhere safe.

— _Let's go!_

That cry of charging ahead against the unspeakable foe, still echoed through her head.

— _Run! Go somewhere safe!_

 _Otou-sama._ The girl thought as she felt a tear fell from her right eye.

— _Go! And live!_

 _Okaa-sama._ She could feel her eyes welling up.

— _Go, and move on! I'll hold him off!_

 _Onii-sama._ Now she could feel her tears freely spilled.

— _Remember that we always love you._

 _Everyone._ If she could speak. She would be sputtering out words in order to prevent her emotions from getting too much out of hand already.

 _I couldn't help them. I was far too weak. I was a dead-weight against him._

She thought to herself hopelessly at the harsh truth she witnessed.

He could remember him, she'll never ever forget him. The man with a long, silver hair that rivaled the color of platinum. His sword much longer than his height. And his chilling voice that still gives shivers to her spine.

— _You'll be a sufficient sacrifice._

"Ah!"

The young girl, around fourteen, suddenly sprang out of her head, tears already moisted in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, not as much in order not to annoy with the occupants of this Inn she stayed for over a week now.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of use to all of you. Everyone..." She hugged herself as if to help her calm down.

She couldn't do anything to save them.

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **Hope y'all like the prologue of this second arc of the story I'm currently right now. Whew! Never thought I'd finished this just within the week I've made my update.**

 **And as per usual. Be sure to press the fav and follow button if you like this story and be sure to leave a review and a PM. 'Cause those help me form new ideas for this story of mine.**

 **gabrielchiong11 out!**

 **P.S: Holy sh*t! My story just placed 47th in terms of followers, and 48th in terms of favorites in the top 50 stories that sorted favorites and follows.**

 **P.P.S: In terms of reviews, it's just beyond the top 50... How sad.**


	10. Volume II Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

The Fortress City of E-Rantel stood at the intersection of three borders — those of the Slaine Theocracy, the Baharuth Empire, and the Re-Estize Kingdom. It was so named because it was defended by three layers of walls. The districts enclosed by each concentric circle of the walls were distinctly different from each other.

The outermost district was sometimes used to billet the troops from the Royal Army, and so it was fully furnished with barracks and other military facilities.

The innermost district was the administrative area of the city. In addition, the district also contained storehouses for combat rations. Thus, it was heavily guarded.

Between these two areas was the residential district, where the people of E-Rantel made their homes. This place best fit the image that came to mind when one thought of a city.

There were several plazas here, and the largest of them was called the Central Plaza. It was filled with stalls selling vegetables, spices, and other such commercial products.

Amidst the crowds, the stall owners energetically shouted their sales pitches to the people walking by, while the older women haggled with the merchants as they looked for fresh food. Drawn by fragrant scents, young men purchased skewers of roasted meat which oozed with warm juices.

The rowdy, energetic atmosphere of this place should have lasted until the sun went down. However, it suddenly went silent as a figure emerged from a five story building nearby.

Everyone in the plaza froze where they stood, their eyes were drawn to the figure.

The gender of the figure was clearly male. Or rather, there was also a distinct impression about him.

Someone muttered, "Black Swordsman."

Indeed, that person was clothed in an intricately designed black coat that was edged in gold. There was no way to see that person's face through the narrow slits of the closed foreign helm under the hod which that person wore. A pair of swords — one long, and the other short — were visible below that person's waist behind that flowing black cloak. There were also a pair of swords slung behind him, and they all looked as impressive as that person's black coat.

He then looked around, and the black coated person took a step forward.

The onlookers watched the man vanished into the distance, and then immediately began whispering about what they had seen. They did not seem afraid of his weapons and his clothes.

That was because the building he had just left was called the "Adventurer's guild," It was a place that only monster-hunting professionals would visit, so it was hardly strange to see armed people coming out there. In fact, several other similarly equipped people had left the building in the meantime. Those with keen eyes noticed a copper plate hanging around his neck of that person.

That said, the man had drawn all that attention because of his coat and his magnificent set of swords.

* * *

The man walked quietly down a narrow road.

Sunlight reflected off the water caught in wagon-ruts on the road. Unlike proper cobbled roads, said water mixed with the earth and sand, which made for treacherous footing. A moment's carelessness might have led to a fall, but the man possessed excellent balance, and so he moved along the road almost as quick as a proper one.

After verifying that there was nobody else around him, the black coated man then said to himself:

"Good grief... I'm glad that I made it this far."

The person in black coat — Ainz — continued talking to himself.

"Well, good thing I've actually been lucky that I made it. After all, I'm supposed to be a simple adventurer, right? I think Pandora made this coat a bit too attractive..."

This was actually true. The creator of the coat that Ainz wore was none other than Pandora himself. Though he have to wonder where he got the inspiration from. He looked like a certain anti-hero of a older brother from a game where it's called as Crying Devils? Ainz believed that was the name of that game. Nonetheless, he looked as if someone was ripping off a certain fashion design.

 _But still, I'm impressed. He made it with the materials I gave him from my personal inventory. As he is a craftsman, that I did put that class in his character build, he did a pretty good job. After he finished it and I appraised it with magic, it should be around the same defense level as that of_ _「_ _Create Greater Item_ _」_ _when I was still level 100 back in YGGDRASIL. Very impressive._

As for the swords, he created it using the aforementioned spell beforehand. Needless to say, these swords were based on the actual swords made in the Warring States Period over 600 years ago back in the world where Suzuki Satoru lived. These swords were, a Katana, a Wakizashi, and a pair of Nodachis.

Though he wanted a Tanegashima rifle to add in his arsenal. However, he doubted that this world would have the knowledge, and the technology to create explosives. Much less invent rifles and cannons in this world's era.

"Let's see here, what should I call myself. Hmm... Momon the Dark Warrior, no that seems cheesy... Momon the Black Swordsman, that sounds good and quite appropriate, but I find it that this title is a bit overused..."

After a short silence, Ainz finally decided:

"I have decided... That I should call myself, Momon the Black Swordsman... That sounds good, but I'll have to change it in case someone else has that title. 'Black Swordsman.'"

Ainz nodded to himself, and then mumbled.

"...Was it really all right for me to go here alone? I find it disturbing that I left Pandora in Carne. Who knows what kind of work he's doing there."

Ainz's words betrayed his complicated feelings as he replied to himself:

"No, I need him to manage Carne for me while I am travelling. That should be a good reason, right?"

Ainz's own question made him smile bitterly.

Among all of his subordinates, Pandora had the most jobs Ainz had him assigned to. He had made good use of Pandora's job classes, 「Expert」and 「Craftsman」, to make Carne a bit more than a simple frontier village. Not to mention his superior tactical thinking when designing the defenses around Carne from scratch.

Ainz could vividly remember when Pandora told his plans to make an underground fortress at the bottom of Carne. Pandora even stated that if Carne were to be attacked, the villagers can hide in the underground fortress for a minimum of one week. The maximum, however, was only a month. That alone was very impressive, not even Ainz could have thought about that.

As a former Area Guardian he would obey his orders without fail, however, he would often voiced out his criticisms of such orders when needed, and changed plans even better than before. He's like a walking right hand man, and a good advisor to boot as well.

Therefore, Pandora had never objected his plan — who agreed rather dramatically as usual — to allow his own father and creator to go and travel as an adventurer. That goes to enough evidence that Pandora has more faith in him than most of his subordinates who have yet to reach his, and Pandora's level.

Until now, he still did not know what Pandora had been so active with his duties. Ainz was a little uneasy about what could have made Pandora so active.

"...Of course, I did not bring him along because I trust him more than anyone else. Though should I brought Anglachel instead? He's an angel, of course he'll find humans as beings with the power to change hearts. But then again, I doubt that he has the ability to hide his aura from sensory-type figures in the city. And the only very few people besides myself who knows to hide their aura was Pandora and the others."

One of the reasons why he had not taken Anglachel or the others with him was because he firmly believed that humans are capable of sensing ones aura. If he brought someone with a strong aura like that into a highly populated city and then someone sensed it, there was a very real possibility that someone might send a special ops unit to apprehend those with a strong aura. In addition, Anglachel had yet to learn to fully suppress his aura, unlike his fellow comrades, Anguirel and Yamato.

The greatest reason, however, was one that he could never speak out loud.

That was the fact that Ainz was a mere salaryman, and he had no confidence in running an organization if he had to rely on reports from others, with no direct observation on his part. Because of that, he had handed the task of managing Carne to the person Ainz can rely on, Pandora. If one were to have a capable subordinate, allowing them to take charge was a gesture; interference from an incompetent superior would only lead to tragedy.

In addition, Pandora was very loyal to begin with, and can be trusted as a whole. That was why Ainz could leave the operations of Carne Village to him.

 _Loyalty, huh..._

Every time he saw Pandora, and every time he dramatically saluted him each time he greets, Ainz was reminded that he himself was a father and a creator to Pandora. Indeed, even before the last moments of the game, he had visited the Treasury only to erect the statues in the Mausoleum to put his comrades' equipment on. And each time he left the Treasury, he would always have an expression of being alone and abandoned.

 _Pandora must've felt that each time I enter, and left the Treasury, huh?_

Still, when he thought about it. What would Pandora would do if their roles were switched. Pandora as a player, and Ainz as an NPC. Thinking about that scenario was horrifying indeed.

Ainz shook his head to clear away these dark thoughts. Although his undead body automatically suppressed any strong emotions he felt, he still experienced petty emotions like those as keenly as he had when he was human. When he fully assumed an undead state of mind, perhaps he would no longer feel that sense of guilt.

Distracted by these thoughts, the turned back to reality and said to himself:

"...I won't tell myself to cast away these thoughts, but at the very least, I must control myself. This is an actual medieval town, and I don't know what exceptional individuals they have among them. Therefore, I should try my best not to make enemies."

Ainz put his hand on the hilt of his Katana. And then, he continued:

"When I intend to fight in earnest, I might radiate a... Killing intent, I suppose that what it is called. Well, something like that might happen. Therefore, I will not get serious unless needed. But for now... Where was that inn that should be nearby?"

Ainz looked around.

There were several shops open for business nearby, their customers filling in and out of them. To the side were several people in work aprons, carrying goods.

In this densely populated commercial district, Ainz had to look for the inn by its name and sign.

Before long, Ainz found the sign he was looking for. His steps quickened.

He scraped off the mud caked on his sabatons, climbed the steps to the western-style saloon doors, and opened them with both hands.

The windows were closed, and so the interior was somewhat dark. People who were used to the light outside would probably not be able to see their hands stretched out in front of their faces. However, Ainz possessed darkvision, and he could see clearly with this meager amount of illumination.

The inside of the building was quite spacious. The first floor was a dining area, with a counter further within. That counter was backed by shelves that contained dozens of bottles of alcohol. The door beside the counter most likely led to a kitchen.

A spiral staircase turned up in the corner of the dining area. According to the receptionist at the guild, the guest rooms were located on the second and third floors. One could see the scattered customers within seated around several round tables. Almost all of them were men, and the promise of violence hung heavily over them.

Everyone's attention was on Ainz. They looked at him as though they were sizing him up. The only person who did not pay attention to Ainz was a woman seated in a corner. She was staring intently at a small bottle on her table.

This tavern scene made Ainz furrow his nonexistent brows under his helmet.

He had expected this sort of thing, but this place was filthier than he imagined.

There were dirty and disgusting places in YGGDRASIL, of course. Even the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick which Ainz formerly ruled over contained such places, such Kyouhukou's room, the Venemous Cave, and so on.

However, the filth here was different from those places.

The floor was covered in scraps of mysterious food and unknown liquids, while the walls were stained and there were chunks of some moldy substance in the corners of the room...

Ainz sighed internally, and looked into the tavern.

A man in dirty apron stood there, his stout arms protruding from his rolled-up sleeves. They were covered in several scars, and Ainz could not tell if they were caused by the claws of wild beasts or by blades of some sort.

He looked somewhere between imposing and bestial, and there were scars on his face as well. His head shaved completely bald, without a single hair on his scalp.

This man, who looked more like a bouncer than an innkeeper, sized up Ainz as he held a mop in one hand.

"A room, huh. For how long?" a voice like a broken bell called out to Ainz.

"I wish to stay for one night."

The innkeeper replied crudely, "...A copper plate, huh. A night is five coppers. The food's oatmeal and vegetables; meat's an extra copper. Might be getting days-old bread instead of the oatmeal."

"I see... Thank you for hospitality then."

Ainz thought he could hear the man snorting.

"...In this town, there's three inns that cater to adventurers, and mine's the worst of these three... You know why the guild sent you here?"

"I do not. Could you tell me why?"

Faced with Ainz's answer, the innkeeper furrowed his frown and turned a frightening look upon him.

"Use your brain a little! Or is that flashy helmet of yours empty inside, huh!?"

Ainz remained calm, despite the innkeeper's annoyed retort. Perhaps his ability to weather this childish tantrum was the result of experiencing that battle several days ago.

That battle — as well as the information given by his new subordinates — had allowed Ainz to understand how powerful he was. Including by measuring the strength of his aura. Because of that, he could calmly face this shouting.

The innkeeper seemed surprised to see Ainz's reaction and said:

"...You've got some guts, huh... The people who stay here are mostly copper or iron plate adventures. If you've got some strength, you can form a party here, if you're lucky. Therefore, there's no better place than this to find party members whose strength matches yours..."

Something seemed to flash through the innkeeper's eyes.

"It's fine if you want to sleep in a room, but if you don't make contacts here, you won't be able to find party members. If you can't form a well-balanced, strong team, you'll die out there against the monsters. That's why novices with no comrades advertise themselves in places with a lot of people. So I'll ask you one more time: do you want to sleep in the dormitory, huh?"

"A single room, I'll pass on the food."

"Cheh, another punk who doesn't appreciate other's kindness... Or are you trying to say that you're something else and that coat of yours isn't for show? Ah, forget it, that'll be five coppers a night. Upfront, of course."

The innkeeper extended his hand in one smooth motion.

Ainz stepped forward. He was bathed in the appraising looks of everyone in the room — when suddenly, someone stuck his foot into Ainz's path, ad though to prevent Ainz from moving forward.

Ainz halted, and turned to the man who had stuck his foot out.

He had an annoying smile on his face, which was mirrored by everyone else at his table. They stare at Ainz.

Neither the innkeeper or the other customers stepped forward to stop this. They were watching silently.

Although everyone seemed to be uninterested in the proceedings, or looking forward to a good show, there were a quite a few of them who were intently studying the situation.

 _Give me a break..._

Ainz sighed, and lightly kicked away the foot in front of him.

The man suddenly stood up, as though he had been waiting just for that. Since he was unarmored, his bulging muscles were clearly visible under his clothes. He had a necklace like Ainz did, but his was an iron plate, which swayed as the man moved.

"Oi, oi, that hurt."

The man approached Ainz, speaking in a threatening manner as he did. He had a gauntlet on his hand, which he must have put on while standing up. It creaked ad he clenched his fist.

The two of them were roughly the same height, and they glared at each other with wrathful eyes. It seemed a bit too close for a fistfight. Ainz decided to fire the first shot:

"Is that so? I must have missed the foot in front of me because of this closed helm, or perhaps your leg was just too short... Well, that's my excuse, can you forgive me for that?"

"...Bastard."

A dangerous look crept into the man's eyes as Ainz's taunt sank in. However, he turned his angry gaze to a girl — who looked around fourteen, wearing a brown cloak perfect for her height, and a strange white mask that covered her face — who was standing behind Ainz — who was minding her own business — plastering his eyes on her.

"You're an annoying fellow... But I'm a generous man. As long as you lend me that girl over there for a night, I'll forgive you."

"Eh!?"

The girl's beautiful voice, that is actually appropriate for her age, gave off a surprised yelp as she noticed the man plastering his eyes at her.

Ainz didn't actually noticed that she was behind him. She's probably a traveller trying to book a room for the night, and this man here tried to have her join in. But he did noticed a plate that has the same color as Ainz.

"Ku, kukuku..."

Ainz could not help but sneer at the man, and he lightly raised his hand to keep the girl from stepping forward. It was almost as if she was going to hit him with her fists.

"...What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I couldn't help but laugh at the way you sound like a stereotypical punk. Don't worry about it."

"Wha?"

The angry man's face flushed red.

"Ah, before we start, can I ask a question? Are you stronger than Gazef Stronoff?"

"Wha? The hell are you talking about?"

"I see, it's all clear from your reaction. If it's like that, then I won't even need to play with you."

Ainz swiftly grabbed the man by the neck, and then hoisted his body off the ground.

The man could not even dodge, much less resist the sudden clinch. He went, "Uoh!" in surprise as he was lifted up. The men around him who were watching the show only added to the excitement. How strong was this guy, if he could lift a grown man with one arm? The imaginations of everyone present were now considering that topic.

A wave of surprise and consternation swept the inn. As though to shatter the atmosphere of shock in the air. Ainz raised the man — whose legs were dangling and kicking furiously — and gently tossed him away.

Well, it was gentle for Ainz.

The thrown man flew in a neat trajectory with frightening speed, skimming the ceiling as he went, and fell heavily to the ground.

The sounds of the man's body striking a nearby table, an object on the table breaking, the planks of the table of the table splitting apart and the man's own howls of pain blended together and echoed through the tavern. Then, the whole place fell silent, as though startled by the noise. However—

"Ogyaaaa—!"

—A beat later, the woman seated at the table emitted a strange wail. It was a cry of despair that a soul might make as it rose to heaven.

No, it would only be natural to scream like this if a man suddenly fell out of the sky and landed in front of someone. There was another reason here, mixed into the shocked cry.

"...Then, what do the rest of you plan to do? Can you save me the trouble and come all at once? It's foolish to waste time on things like this."

Ainz's words were directed at the other men seated at the table of the fellow he had just thrown. They immediately got his meaning, and hurriedly lowered their heads.

"Ah? N-No! Our buddy offended you! We're very sorry!"

"...Mm. I forgive you. Besides, it hardly inconvenienced me. However, you had best pay the innkeeper for that table."

"Of, of course! We will pay the full price!"

Just as Ainz felt the matter was at an end and turned away, a voice froze him in his tracks.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Turning around, he saw the woman who had made that weird cry just now. She was stomping up to him.

She looked to be in her twenties or younger, and her red hair was messily-cut, yet at a good length for movement. It could not be described as neat by any stretch of the word. To be more precise, it resembled a bird's nest.

She had a pretty face and a keen edge to her eyes. She did not wear makeup, and her healthy body was tanned brown by the sun. Her arms were muscular and her palms were covered in calluses from wielding a sword. The word that first came to mind when he saw her was not "woman," but "warrior."

A small iron plate hung around her chest, and it shook mightily with every step she took.

"See what you've done!"

"What have I done?"

"Hah? Don't you even know what you did?"

The woman pointed at the shattered table.

"You threw that guy over and broke my potion, my precious potion!"

"And?"

"And!? You—!"

Her gaze sharpened further, and her tone became low and dangerous.

"Pay me back for my potion."

"...It's just a potion..."

"...I starved and scrimped and saved to buy that potion today! And now you broke it! I've always believed that I could get through a dangerous adventure as long as I had a potion, but now you've shattered my hopes and dreams! And you've still got an attitude like that? Ahhhh, it makes me so mad!"

The woman draw closer to Ainz.

It seemed like a wild bull had just seen red and was approaching him.

Ainz suppressed a sigh at himself. Indeed, he had made a mistake by throwing the man without thinking about where he might land. However, Ainz had his own reasons for not paying compensation that easily.

"...How about asking that man to pay you back? If he hadn't stuck his short leg out, this tragedy would not have taken place. Am I wrong?"

Ainz gaze swept across the man's buddies through the slit of his helmet.

"Ah, yes, that's right..."

"However..."

"Forget it, I don't care who pays me back as long as its a potion or its equivalent in cash... Although, that potion was worth one gold and ten silvers."

The men lowered their heads. It would seem they did not have that sort of money. Thus, the red-headed girl turned on Ainz again.

"As I thought, these drunkards wouldn't have that sort of money. well, seeing as you're dressed in such a flashy coat, surely you must have a healing potion, right?"

 _No wonder,_ Ainz thought. So that's why this woman was asking Ainz to pay up.

He thought briefly about it, composed himself, and replied:

"It's not like I don't... Although, that was a recovery potion, am I correct?"

"Indeed. I saved up for every little—"

"—All right, I get it, that's enough. I'll pay you back with another potion, and we'll be even."

Ainz handed her a Minor Healing Potion. She looked at the potion bottle in surprise, then reluctantly accepted it.

"...This should be fine, right"

"...Mm, I guess."

The woman seemed to have more to say, but Ainz cast aside his doubts. The more thing was his uneasiness over the young girl the man tried to bring would do something big.

Judging by the young girl's aura, she should be around level 66.

"Time to go," Ainz told himself. He went before the innkeeper and Ainz withdrew single silver piece from his leather purse before placing it on the crudely-made counter.

The innkeeper silently slipped it into his pant pocket and returned Ainz several copper pieces.

"Mm. Here's eight coppers back."

He placed the copper coins onto Ainz's gauntleted hand, and then laid a small key on the counter.

"First room on the right once you go up the stairs. You can put your gear into the chests at the foot of the bed. This goes without saying, but don't barge into people's rooms without permission. Might lead to trouble if someone gets the wrong idea. Although, it's a pretty good way to let people know you. You look like the sort who can handle all kinds of problems. Just don't give me a problem."

The innkeeper narrowed his eyes at the man Ainz had thrown, who was moaning on the floor.

"Understood. Also, I'll need a basic adventurers kit for me. I've lost some of my things and the Guild said that you'd prepare one for me if I asked."

The innkeeper looked at Ainz, and then looked straight at Ainz's purse.

"Mm, I got it. I'll get ready by dinner. Just be ready to pay."

"Understood. Then, see you later."

Ainz stepped up the old staircase. The wood creaked under his feet ad he headed for his room.

* * *

After Ainz's silhouette vanished up at the second floor, the buddies of the man which Ainz threw rushed up and began casting curative magic on him. Their actions seemed to be the spark which caused the silent tavern to burst into clamor.

"...It seems he's as strong as he looks."

"Yeah, that's it. His arm strength is unbelievable, how did he train it?"

"He must be pretty confident to carry those weapons around him."

"Dammit, another guy's going to leap ahead of us as well."

The scattered conversation were filled with awe, surprise, and fear.

The first reason was his impressive equipment. Magnificent coats enchanted with magic were hardly cheap, and one would need to have gone on many adventures — in other words, be an experienced adventurer — in order to purchase it. One would at least be at least Orichalcum or Adamantite in order to accumulate enough capital for such a feat. However, some people inherited their equipment from their predecessors, or found those on the battlefield or in ruins.

That was why they wanted to take a measure of his of his ability.

Nearly everyone here was a comrade and a competitor at the same time. They all wanted to know the strength of any newcomers. The circumstances from just now had occurred in the past as well, over and over again.

The truth was, nearly everyone here had experienced this sort of thing in the past. However, none of them had passed the test so easily before. In other words, that copper ranked adventurer...

He would be very strong, either as a rival or an ally. Mostly everyone here was fully convinced of that—

—All but one person.

"Now, how should we deal with him?"

"Bribing that guy is out of the question..."

"If only we could get him into our party..."

"You must be mistaken, he should be in our party."

"What does he look like under that helmet?"

"I'll go listen on his wall tonight."

"Didn't he mention the region's strongest man, Gazef Stronoff?"

"Could it be that he's a disciple of the Warrior-Captain?"

"That's certainly possible. Leave this task to a big-eared thief like me!"

As the crowd eagerly discussed the mysterious man, the innkeeper walked up to one of the adventurers.

She was holding the potion Ainz had given her just now.

"Oi, Britta."

"Hm? What?"

The woman — Britta — turned her eyes away from staring at the red potion and looked disinterestedly at the innkeeper.

"What kind of potion was that?"

"Who knows?"

"...Oi, oi, you don't know either? You accepted his potion as compensation, shouldn't you know its value?"

"How could I? Besides, I've never seen a potion like this before. Gramps, you came here because you were curious too, right?"

Britta was right.

"Does it cover the value of your potion that got smashed? This might end up being cheaper than the one you brought?"

"That's true. It's definitely a gamble, but one I'm confident of winning. This was something that guy in flashy coat gave me after he heard the price of my potion."

"I see..."

"...I've never seen a healing potion of this color before. It might be a rare treasure. If I delayed and he said in cash, I'd be coming back from the dragon's dentist with nothing to show for it, right? In any case, I'll take it for appraisal tomorrow and find out how much it's worth."

"Oh, in that case, I'll cover the appraisal fee for you. In fact, I'll even recommend a good place for you to visit."

"You will, gramps?"

Britta furrowed her brows. The innkeeper was a good man, but he was hardly a Good Samaritan either. He must have something in mind.

"Ah, don't look at me like that. I just want you to tell me the effects of this potion."

"So it's a trade, then?"

"Hey, it's a good trade, right? Besides, I can recommend a really good herbalist to you through my connections. I'm talking about that Lizzie Bareare."

Britta's eyes went wide with surprise.

E-Rantel was a place with many mercenaries and adventurers. It specialized in selling weapons, and other items to these people ND among them the trade in potions was quite brisk. Therefore, E-Rantel had more herbalists than a normal city."

Amidst this fierce competition, Lizzie Bareare had earned fame as the best herbalist in the region. She could make the most complex potions of llama the herbalists in the city. Since the innkeeper had mentioned her by name, Britta had no way of refusing his offer.

* * *

After Britta had left immediately to search for the famed herbalist, the innkeeper had finally sigh in relief that she left immediately, rather than wait for a while.

Now, he has another person to deal with.

"Oi, Erika." the innkeeper quietly called out to the girl.

The girl — Erika — turned her head from the old staircase which that mysterious man stepped, and faced with a rather disinterested expression of some sort at the innkeeper.

"Whatcha' staring at, huh, kid?"

"...Nothing... And for your information, I'm not a kid."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

The innkeeper looked at her, not giving in to her answer. Then, he tested another question to her.

"...You do know I've rented him your room, right?"

"Yes, of— what!?"

The moment as she exclaimed those words, the innkeeper bursted out in laughter at Erika's reaction. If she weren't wearing her mask now, the innkeeper would see her flushing red in embarrassment.

"Hahaha! You're easily fooled by that! You're really are a kid, aren't cha'?"

"Shut up!"

"...A certain friend once told me if a girl like you talks like that, he would've called it in a foreign word... What was it called? A, yes, a Tsundere, that what he likes to call it."

The innkeeper made a mocking grin as she lowered her head in further embarrassment.

It would seem the innkeeper enjoyed teasing someone around her age.

"...Will you ever stop teasing me?"

"Ha, never."

That simple reply made her more embarrassed than before.

"...Who was that friend of yours? Where is he now?"

"His name was Kazuma. But as of now, he's dead. Got shot by a Goblin Archer in the head from one of his extermination quests. That bastard got so cocky that he'll plow through the ranks and reach Adamantite plate in no time at all. Guess he's all bark, and no bite at all. That poor, useless sod.

"...I see..."

"Nah, don't worry about it. After his death, that made me realize how important it was to have a team on your back. And since then on, the guild made a proclamation to have a team of two or so in order to prevent another death like Kazuma's. Guess his own death made the guild ban any solo quests that the Adventurers' Guild posted at that time. It's been like it for twenty years since that happened."

"Is that so..."

The innkeeper could feel that he was straying off the topic he was supposed to tell her. He made a fake cough, and asked:

"Now then, do you that guy? The one with the flashy helmet."

"Of course I know him, he's my fa— I mean, he's my acquaintance, that's all."

"So he's your acquaintance, huh? So that's why he protected you, instead of giving you to that guy."

"Yes... Do you think that guy was serious of having me for the night?" she asked as she pointed at the man who was still feeling the effects of being thrown in the air.

The innkeeper looked at her in shock, before he immediately answered:

"Of course he wasn't serious. Who in the right mind would have a kid of your age have a night with him. If he was serious," he cracked his two knuckles, "I think I'm going to have a word with him."

"I-I see... In that case, could you rent me a room close to my fa— I mean, my acquaintance's room."

"...Why are you asking me that?"

"..."

The girl did not answer.

The innkeeper made a sigh in exasperation as he answers the girl's question.

"I've got one, it's a double room, second room on the right once you go up the stair. And it cost you seven coppers. Think you still have your money?"

"Yes, here."

She pulled out a silver coin from her leather purse, before placing it on the crudely-made counter.

The innkeeper silently slipped it into his pants pocket and returned Erika several copper pieces.

"Mm. Here's six coppers back."

"Thank you."

The girl bowed, as if for respect.

"Don't mind it kid. Oh, before I forget, congratulations on becoming an official adventurer."

"Thanks. Bye!"

Erika stepped up the old staircase. The innkeeper silently wondered how odd of her to bow her head like that. It was almost as if she was taught to do that.

* * *

The wooden door closed with a thud.

The room was bare, apart from a crudely-made bed frame with a accompanying chest. After opening the windowblinds, he could directly feel the sunlight and outside air.

Ainz was somewhat disappointed as he finished his circular sweep of the room. Although he could not expect Underground Carne-level furnishings and cleanliness in a godforsaken place like this, he still wanted to get out of here.

 _I can't believe I get to stay here... Still a fresh experience, I guess? Anyway, my aim was to become an adventurer, and then increase my fame to the point where everyone knows me. Until then, it won't hurt to experience the life of a newbie like before, right?_

He thought about it after closing the windows, it was without expressing his dissatisfaction. There was not enough sunlight coming in through the blinds to light up the entire room. Ainz possessed darkvision, so it was hardly an obstacle to him, but for a normal person, this room would be so dark that they would have trouble seeing.

"Still... The life of an adventurer is pretty banal."

He then thought:

 _Adventurers._

Once, Ainz had dreamed about that profession.

He envisioned them as people who chased after the unknown and had adventurers in various parts of the world. Ainz had previously thought that adventurers were a physical manifestation of the right way to play YGGDRASIL, but after listening to the Guild receptionist, he realised that adventuring was a more realistic and more boring job than he had expected.

Simply put, adventurers were "anti-monster mercenaries."

Although some parts of it fits his dreams of them — for instance, delving into the ruins of kingdoms destroyed by the Demon Gods two hundred years ago and investigating mysteries in uncharted lands — for the most part, they were simply monster hunters.

Every monster possessed different special abilities, so they could be taken care of by people who knew more tricks than average soldiers.

Just going by that point, one might think that they were heroes who were loved and relied on by the common man, like in games.

However, reality was somewhat different from that.

This was because the ruling authorities did not smile on the existence of armed groups which they could not control. Therefore, aside from the prices they commanded, adventurers did not have much status.

Another reason why adventurers were not accepted on a national scale was because of the same thinking which made companies look for cheap, local temps than employing expensive permanent staff. Thus, much like how temps were treated by companies who could get by without hiring them, adventurers were held in lower regard in those nations which could eliminate monsters by dint of their own military power.

According to the Guild receptionist and his subordinates, there were no adventurers in the Slaine Theocracy, while life had gotten worse for adventurers in the Baharuth Empire after the ascension of their new Emperor.

Ainz banished his mild disappointment from his heart. It was a common thing in life to find that a job which one admired was hardly as glamorous in reality.

With a brief wave of his hand, the weapons around him melted away into nothing, and a skeleton bedecked in magic items was revealed.

He wore a pair of black mirrorshades and a red targeting sight. The silver circlet on his head was set with amethyst and thorns grew from it, making it look like a rose vine.

His long-sleeved coat and slacks remained the same. However, a black belt secured the pants around his waist appeared.

Ainz took off the sturdy gauntlets under his coat, and there were rings on all of his bony fingers save the left ring finger.

His sabatons were replaced by a pair of half-boots made of reddish-brown leather, and they were embroidered with gold thread.

A silver necklace with a lion-head pendant hung around his neck, and around it was a red cape.

Magic items in YGGDRASIL were made by infusing an item skin with a data crystal, so it was quite difficult to coordinate their appearance. However, many players disliked wearing a clownsuit, so after a certain update, players were given several ways to change their equipment's appearance without changing their gear.

The helmet of articulately black color, made by the 「Create Greater Item」spell, was one of those ways.

Currently, Ainz was wearing Sure-Hit Glasses, a Crown of Mental Fortitude, the coat made by Pandora — Vergil's Black Coat —, a Black Belt, the Jarngreipr from earlier, a Nemean Lion pendant, Haste Boots, among other items.

In YGGDRASIL, trading in magic items was usually done in the form of data crystals. However, there were people who sold second-hand items in order to make even stronger ones. It was at this point that a problem arose — the names of magic items made by other people might include forbidden language, or it might insult someone. Sometimes, the GMs would ask the players in question to rename the items.

In general, naming items was left to the fancy of the creator, and possibly those who helped name those items. Ainz named the coat after a certain half-demon from the Crying Devils series? He completely forgot the name of the game.

As a result, items with weird names were not very popular on the market. Although cash items which could be rename them were not expensive, very few people wanted to make that expenditure.

Thus, every player racked their brains to give their items good names. Sometimes the names would be in English, or they could come from mythology.

Of course, there were exceptions to this as well.

For instance, naming rings was very troublesome so most people tended to call them Ring1, Ring2, Ring3, and so on. Ainz had seen someone who called Thumb Ring, Index Finger Ring, Middle Finger Ring, and so on.

Ainz had a friend called Warrior Takemikazuchi, who wielded two katanas from time to time. He named one of them — the eighth of its line — "Takemikazuchi Mk 8"

The red cape he was wearing had also been named along that line of thought.

Inspired by an anti-hero from American comics, it was called the Necroplasmic Mantle.

All of these were relic class items. They were two tiers lower than Ainz's main gear, but he had considered that problems might arise from bringing items which were too strong, so he settled for equipment of this level.

Ainz worked his shoulders and savored the sensation of being free from the weapons strapped on his back.

Ainz then fiddled with the necklace he wore, though he kept his fingers away from the Nemean Lion.

 _If it's just a simple metal plate, then it can be forged... Although that should probably be something for the Guild to worry about._

That small copper plate was something like a set of dog tags. It was what allowed people to know the strength of an adventurer.

Copper. Iron. Silver. Gold. Platinum. Mithril. Orichalcum. Adamantite.

The latter metals were more valuable, which meant that adventurers of those ranks could select more difficult and more rewarding quests. This was part of the system the Guild had developed to keep adventurers from going to pointless deaths.

Ainz, a freshly-registered adventurer, was of the lowest class — copper. That woman was an iron plate. Showing her a basic level of courtesy was the secret of successfully blending into society.

Ainz faced to the door. Though he had locked the door after coming in, he had no way to be sure if someone was listening through it.

 _Still... It would be very disturbing if someone was leaning toward that door, and listening to what I say. It won't hurt if I could say my thoughts out loud, right? I could possibly find a adventurer as my partner._

With a sigh, and tone of vague resignation, Ainz said out loud:

"I am here to go undercover as an adventurer in this city. This is because I have to collect information on adventurers — in other words, the strongest people in this world — though my emphasis will be learning about YGGDRASIL players, like myself. Attaining higher ranks will allow me to higher ranked Jobs, which will allow me to collect more reliable and useful information. Therefore, my first objective is to become a successful adventurer."

Ainz made a mental note if he should use this kind of way as a bait to catch someone of interest.

"However, there are several problems at the moment."

Ainz withdrew his small purse and opened it, then dumped its contents onto his hand. They were coins, and there were very few of them. There was no glint of gold among the coin.

"To begin with, I have no money."

There were several reasons why Ainz had paid with a potion during the prior dispute. One of them was because he was not confident they could this problem with money. Saying that he had no money to pay would be laughable.

Ainz turned his face back to the door, just in case, and explained:

"No, I should say that I do have a lot of money, but the currency I have is largely YGGDRASIL gold coins. Therefore, I would like to use those gold coins as a last resort."

 _This is absolutely stupid. There's no telling who's listening behind that door. Hell, I tried using both_ _「_ _Life Essence_ _」_ _and_ _「_ _Mana Essence_ _」_ _to try to see who was actually listening behind that door. I even tried sensing any nearby auras, but so far there's actually a decent volume of no actual aura surrounding behind that door. Maybe he or she is using some sort of magic items that hides someone's presence. Or it might be that girl from before, I didn't sense her presence back then. Judging by her level before, she might be an YGGDRASIL player._

Players. People who were at his level back in YGGDRASIL.

His — Ainz Ooal Gown's — level was the highest back in YGGDRASIL, level one hundred. However, to players, being maximum level was hardly rare thing. It could be said that most players were level one hundred.

As if for now, Ainz level was two hundred.

Ainz considered himself to be among the upper-middle tier of the game's players. This was because he was focused on taking levels in classes to better roleplay an undead magic caster, and neglected raising his own power. However, given the divine class items he possessed, as well as his numerous cash items, he might be ranked in the middle of the top tier. Still, he could not take things easy. There was always a bigger fish, after all. Especially those that are possibly higher than level two hundred.

Thus he had to avoid being found by other players, at any cost. There were many opponents Ainz could not defeat if he was drawn into battle. There was still a possibility that he'll able to go toe-to-toe with them after he chose the remaining ten level points to pick either for his job or racial classes.

In addition, there were many players who were humans, and they would naturally protect other humans. If these players clashed with people like those who viewed humans as inferior lifeforms, undead and other heteromorphic races might very well be count humanity as enemies. That was why he felt that he should go alone.

Ainz and Pandora themselves did not view humanity as an enemy, but they could kill human beings if such an occasion should arise. Even so, he wanted to avoid conflict with other players.

"Well, I guess this should be alright. I've gained a few significant information from my subordinates, but then again, there was still a possibility that their knowledge was a bit outdated."

There were exactly thirty-one people alive from the Sunlight Scripture and the fake knights captured in Carne Village. All of which they have pledged their loyalty to Ainz, and those that died by the hands of Yamato and Anglachel who were before they evolved, and became the media for Ainz to summon undead with his skills.

As he recalled the information reported from his subordinates, Ainz could not help but mutter.

"Most players would want to support the Slaine Theocracy..."

The Slaine Theocracy was a religious nation which venerated the Six Gods, who descended upon the world six hundred years ago.

In the words of his human subordinates, the Slaine Theocracy fought to allow the weak human race to prosper, grow strong, and defeat other species. Any player with any remaining humanity would approve of the Slaine Theocracy's aims.

Unlike his own world, where humanity stood atop all living creatures, in this world, humanity was one of the weakest species around.

Though they could could build such an impressive city upon the plains, the fact that they had to live on the plains only highlighted humanity's weakness.

That said, plains were also dangerous places. Firstly, there was no place to hide, so it was easy to be discovered by the enemy. Only weak species, who lacked darkvision, would choose to live in a place like this. They would have no safe spaces or living room if they chose otherwise.

There were species who were physically stronger and possessed more advanced civilizations than humans, but they were not in control of the continent. This was because they had ended up fighting the Eight Greed Kings, who dominated the land five hundred years ago. Humanity was one of the few survivors of that war. If not, the human race would long since be extinct.

Any players in this world would want to help out humanity. That was why Ainz was on guard against players and kept his distance from the Slaine Theocracy.

"In any case, I plan to sell off the swords taken from the Slaine Theocracy troops pretending to be knights... But then again, I did gave some of those to the villagers. Anyway, I need to get a job."

 _If so, I'd like to learn more by walking around this city, I should leave that for after I've earned some money._

Ainz then cast a spell, and was wrapped in his previous set of equipment and illusion once more.

 _I should be inspecting my surroundings. Though I want someone to stay here and wait for me here... Meh, it was almost like I wanted someone on my side... Dammit, why am I feeling so damned lonely right now!?_

* * *

From behind the door, which leads to the room of the mysterious person. Erika was leaning on the door, listening to the occasional sayings of the man. As of now, she was having thoughts about him.

 _Wow... I expect that he was lonely, but not that lonely!_

Erika had thought about that when she first arrived the room, the mysterious person rented. She had expected some level of loneliness about him, but not on the level that he was actually talking to himself.

She never heard of him being that lonely. She had heard stories from her mother that Momon the Black Swordsman was fearless, intelligent, strong, and NOT lonely. It would seem her mother's stories were a bit of an exaggeration.

 _Guess Okaa-sama's words betrayed what I'm hearing right now. Heh, heh, now at least I know the truth._

As she thought about it, it makes sense. When she heard stories about Momon, a person soloing quests like a man from legends. The kind that saved damsels in distress, the person worthy of legends. But as of now, he was a person of a certain level of loneliness that talks to himself.

 _But then again, this was the time period before he became THE legendary Black Swordsman. This was the time before he met her, so there's no way she would know this, right?_

The more she thought about it, the more curious she actually was. The question was, how did they met? She only heard about vague mentions about she fought a demon four times stronger than her, and he appeared right in the middle of their fight in a very epic entrance followed suit.

However, hearing the innkeeper from earlier. Solo quests were banned from the Guild, and from her mother herself, solo quests were quite legal back when she was an adventurer.

 _Time travel really is a pain... Not only when going back in time had grave consequences, but not actually on this level! I could have possibly changed the events that should have happened in this timeline._

Even so, there was no actual proof that she ended up creating an entirely new timeline, right? Those things would happen if she made big changes in the timeline she currently resides now. Especially when it involves new people into the mix, and events that should have happened years later would come much earlier than the original.

She silently prayed to some being that actually grants someone's prayers that those would not happen. Therefore, she would not have to reveal some things in this timeline unless needed. But for now, she should focus on staying alive in the past after the destruction of her present timeline.

She leaned once more to the door, in order to listen what he was saying.

At this point, the door opened. As a result, she fell faceplant to the floor. Resounding a painful thud as her body hit the floor.

"Ouch..."

She quietly yelped in pain as she felt like she slipped on something, and fell on the ground.

It was then, she heard a deep voice called out to her.

"Uh, are you alright, miss?"

Erika could feel her face heated up to the point she screamed in embarrassment that echoed throughout the inn. Resulting in Ainz apologizing to her, and to the innkeeper for his carelessness. But that is a tale for another time.

* * *

Sensing something like a color upon the wind, Britta sniffed several times, like a dog.

She was not mistaken — the air contained a greenish scent. This odor came from mysterious drugs and crushed plants. The smell told Britta that she was at her destination.

Britta continued forward, to a place where the smell was stronger just now. Peering left and right, she walked on until she was in front of the largest house.

This house was different from the others around it, which were designed with a shop area in front and a work area in the back. It seemed to have been built from the ground up ad a workshop.

She knew that she had arrived from the sign that hung above the door and outside the place.

The bell mounted on top of the door rang surprisingly loud as she pushed open the front door.

After she entered, she found herself in something that looked like a guest lounge. There were two facing benches in the middle of the room, cabinets of books on the walls, and ornamental plants in the corners of the room.

As she stepped into the lounge, a voice called out:

"Welcome!"

It was a male voice, though it sounded too young to belong to a man.

Looking around, she saw a teenage boy standing before her, dressed in a beat-up set of old work coveralls that were stained with juices from crushed plants.

His blond hair covered half his face, so it was hard to guess his age, but from his height and his voice, he should be in puberty.

Although he was a teenager, Britta could guess his name. Apart from the fame of his grandmother, he had become one of the few notable people in E-Rantel by virtue of his innate talents.

"...Nfirea Bareare-san?"

"Yes, that's me."

The boy — Nfirea — nodded and asked:

"May I know what business you have here?"

"Ah, yes. Hang on a bit."

Britta retrieved the folded slip of paper the innkeeper had passed her and gave it to the boy.

Upon receiving the piece of paper, Nfirea opened and read it.

"I see... So that's what's going on. Then, can I see the potion?"

Britta took out the potion and handed it to Nfirea, who brought it so close to himself that his covered it.

The atmosphere changed.

Nfirea swept his hair away, revealing a handsome face, which would surely break the hearts of many girls.

However, within that youthful face of his was a pair of steely eyes. It was hard to imagine that someone who spoke and acted like he did could have eyes like that. Those eyes sparkled with excitement. Nfirea shook the potion bottle several times and nodded.

"Forgive me, it's not convenient to speak here. Could you follow me inside?"

Britta agreed, and under Nfirea's guidance, she soon arrived at a messy room. Still, she thought that way because she lacked professional experience.

On the table were round-bottomed flasks, test tubes, distillation equipment, mortars, funnels, beakers, alcohol lamps, balances, a bizarre-looking pot, and various other items. The shelves on the walls were filled with a mysterious herb and mineral samples.

An acrid odor hung in the air. It seemed potentially dangerous to one's body.

The person who was already within the room stared at the two people who had barged in.

She was a very old woman, and both her face and hands were heavily wrinkled. Her hair, which reached to her eyebrows, was pure white. Her work clothes were stained with even more green residue that Nfirea's and she smelled heavily of grass.

Nfirea, who had just entered, called out to the old lady:

"Granny!"

"What is it, what is it, I can hear you even if you don't shout. My ears are sharp, you know."

Nfirea had only one grandmother, who was renowned as the greatest herbalist in this city, Lizzie Bareare.

"Come take a look at this."

Lizzie accepted the potion Nfirea offered her. As she studied it, her gaze was so focused and keen that it unsettled Britta. She looked like a grizzled veteran of many battles.

In this, she was not wrong. Herbalists needed to use magic when making their potions and medicines, and the more famous the herbalist, the higher the tier of magic they could use. Therefore, the greatest herbalist of E-Rantel, Lizzie Bareare, was a much better combatant than Britta.

"This potion... Did you bring it here?... A legendary potion? No, could it be... God's Blood? What on earth is this potion?"

"Eh?"

Britta's eyes went wide, thinking _That's my line._

"Impossible... This potion. Where did you get it from? A ruin?"

"Eh? Ah, no, that..."

"What a shrinking violet you are. Just give me a straight answer — where did you get it from? Did you steal it? Hm?"

Britta's shoulders shuddered in surprise. She had done nothing wrong, yet she felt like she was being rebuked.

"...Granny, don't scare her."

"...What are saying, Nfirea? I didn't scare her at all... Right?"

 _No, you did._ Britta wanted to say that, but instead she gulped and simply told Lizzie the full story about the potion:

"Ah, er, someone else gave it to me as payment."

"...Hah?"

Lizzie's eyes became even more stern.

"Wait a minute, Granny. Britta-san, could you tell Ke who gave it to you? And why was it given to you?"

With Nfirea's help, Britta explained simply that she had received the potion from a mysterious man in black coat. As Lizzie heard it, more furrows sprouted out on her wrinkled face.

"...Did you know that there are three kinds of potions?"

Without waiting for Britta's reply, Lizzie continued:

"The first kind are potions made from herbs alone. Those potions act slowly, and all they can do is improve a person's natural recovery. While they're not very effective, they're very cheap. The second kind of potions are Andes with herbs and magic. These potions take effect faster than the first kind, but they still need some time to work. Most adventurers use these potions to recover after a battle. The final kind of potion is made solely from magic. Essentially, one infuses a spell into an alchemical solution and it takes instant effect. These potions are functionally the same as a spell, but they are more correspondingly expensive. Then, which of these three kinds does that potion of your belong too? I can't see any traces of herbal residue, so it should be a pure-magic potion, but—"

Lizzie pulled out a potion bottle filled with a blue liquid and held it before Britta's eyes.

"This is a basic healing potion. The colors are different, right? Recovery potions turn blue during their manufacture, but yours is red. In other words, the process by which that potion was made is completely different from the way normal potions are made. In other words, your potion is pretty rare, and for all we know it might end up revolutionizing potion creation methods... Well, you might not realise it for a while."

After saying that, Lizzie cast a spell:

"「Appraisal Magic Item」. 「Detect Enchant」."

After casting the two spells on the potion, a look of shock and anger appeared on Lizzie's face.

"Kuku. Fuahaha!"

—Suddenly, crazed laughter echoed through the narrow room. Lizzie slowly raised her head, a terrifying mad smile on her face. Britta was so frightened by the sudden change in Lizzie that not only could she not speak, she could not even move.

"Kukuku! Is that what it I'd!? Look closely at this potion, Nfirea! This is the perfected form of all potions! It's right here! We — herbalists, alchemists, everyone making in the business of making potions — have studied for so long and accumulated so much experience, but yet we have not been able to achieve this idealized form!"

Lizzie's cheeks were red from her excitement and she was huffing and puffing. However, she maintained her death grip on the potion as she brought it before Nfirea's eyes.

"Potions will deteriorate over time, am I right!?"

"Of course, that's common sense."

In stark contrast to Lizzie's excitement, Nfirea was calm. However, Britta could sense hints of anticipation within him.

She had no idea why they were so fired up about this. She keenly felt like she had been swept up into a storm that shook the heavens and the earth. To think she had brought a potion here that could put up such an excited look on the face of E-Rantel's greatest herbalist!

"Pure magic potions are made from alchemical solutions. Those solutions are refined from a mineral base, so it's only natural that the quality of the solution will degrade over time. That's why you need to cast the spell 「Preservation」on it."

Lizzie paused, and then spoke again.

"At least, until now."

Britta seemed to understand a little of what Lizzie was saying. She looked at the red solution, her eyes wide with surprise.

"This bottle! This potion! This bottle of potion! It doesn't deteriorate even without preservative magic! In other words, it's a perfect potion! Nobody's done anything like this until today! According to the ancient legends, the original healing potion was made from the blood of the gods."

Lizzie shook the bottle she was holding and the bright red liquid swirled within the glass.

"Of course, they're just legends. It used to be a joke between herbalists that the gods had blue blood."

After another brief pause, Lizzie looked at the bottle of potion she was holding in her hand. It was trembling in her excitement.

"This potion might well be the true God's Blood!"

Nfirea kept on patting Lizzie's back as she panted heavily. Britta was struck dumb by surprise. The silence between them was broken by Lizzie:

"...You must have come here to learn about this potion's effects, right? This potion is around the level of a second tier healing spell. Not counting the added value from its rarity, it would fetch around eight gold pieces. That said, once you factor that extra value in, the price's is enough that people would murder you for it."

Britta's body trembled uncontrollably.

To an iron plate adventurer like Britta, the potion's base value alone was already very high, to say nothing of the added value. Lizzie had a gleaming edge in her eye, and she looked like she was looking for any opportunity to take it from her.

Even so, Britta had her doubts. Why would that man in fancy coat give her that potion so easily? What sort of man hid under that helmet?

Just as countless doubts appeared in her heart, Lizzie asked:

"How about selling it to me? I'll give you a good price for it. How about thirty two gold pieces?"

Britta's eyes went even wider.

The price Lizzie had just quoted was a staggering sum. Frugally used, it was enough for a family of three to live on for three years.

Britta was confused. She knew the potion was incredibly valuable. Then, selling it for thirty two gold pieces the right thing to do? It seemed unlikely that she would ever be able to lay her hands on another potion like this again.

But if she refused, would she make it back alive?

After seeing Britta's hesitant face, Lizzie shook her head and proposed another deal—

* * *

The next morning, Ainz — also known as Momon — opened the guild's doors once more.

The first thing he saw as he entered the room was the counter, where three of the guild's receptionists greeted the adventurers with smiles on their faces. There were warriors in full plate armor, nimble fellows in light armor and bearing bows, people in priest's garb and adorned with all manner of holy symbols, as well as robed arcane magic casters with their staves.

On the left was a large door, and on the right was a notice board. There were several pieces of parchment upon it which he had not seen yesterday. Several adventurers were chatting in front of it.

Annoyed by that sight and the many sticking-out pieces of parchment, Ainz moved forward to the counter.

The eyes of everyone present focused on the copper plate around Ainz's neck, and he could feel those eyes sizing him up from head to toe. It was just like yesterday at the inn.

Ainz was surveying the adventurers in turn. They wore gold and silver plates on their necklaces, with no copper plates. Feeling vaguely out of place, Ainz advanced to the counter.

A group of adventurers had just departed, freeing up one of the counters. Even stepped forward and said:

"Pardon me, but I'm looking for work."

"Then, please select a piece of parchment from over there and bring it here."

Ainz nodded in silence, feeling as though his nonexistent sweat glands were now recovering some of their function. He arrived before the notice boards, looked across all of them, and then nodded.

 _Yup, there's no quest of my rank._

One of his discoveries is that, the laws in this world was that spoken language was automatically translated, but written text was not.

The receptionist walked him through everything the last time he came to the Adventurer's Guild, so — if he had never learned the written text — he had assumed they would do the same this time too. How naive.

If that actually happened, he would've want to scream "Ahhhh," and roll around on the ground, and then his emotions would suddenly calmed down. And being grateful for the property of his new body. Therefore, Ainz would frantically racked his brain.

While the literacy rate here was not high, it would be shameful if his inability to read was discovered by others in a situation where he didn't learn it. They might even look him down if that happens.

Luckily for him, he already knew the written texts.

The translation item that Ainz possessed was now in the hands of Yamato. During YGGDRASIL he had ignored spells of that sort and had not learned them. After all, he had scrolls, which could substitute for learning those spells.

He praised himself for a genius, for coming out with making preparations knowing that he could not read the language before. It was well worth it.

Ainz looked over the girl — Erika — as she tried to look for quests for their rank as well.

As for why they were so close together, you may ask? To put it bluntly, they were paired up by the innkeeper from a certain incident yesterday. And to make long story even shorter, Ainz offered her to team up with and she reluctantly agreed.

As a result from the incident, the two have to share a room together. Which resulted another embarrassing cry from Erika at the mention of sharing the same room as Ainz.

Negative thoughts rose up at that memory, but as a leader of Pandora and his subordinates, he could not do anything that will blemish his reputation.

After gathering his resolve, Ainz ripped off a piece of parchment which read "Dancing Trickster," and strode back to the counter.

"I'd like to take this job."

Confusion came over the counter girl's face as she looked at the parchment before her eyes. Then, she smiled bitterly and replied:

"I'm very sorry, but this job is only for mithril plate adventurers..."

"I know. That's why I took it."

The calm, unwavering tone in Ainz's voice evoked doubt in the counter girl's eyes.

"Er, about that..."

"I would like to take this job."

"Eh? Ah, but, even if you ask, according to the rules..."

"They're worthless rules. I'm fed up with having to keep proving myself with easy, pathetic jobs like this before my rank-up examinations."

"If you fail the job, many people will lose their lives."

The receptionist's firm voice seemed to encompass the silent options of the countless people who had worked hard to qualify themselves by the guild's rankings.

"Hmph."

Ainz's snort drew hostility from the counter girl and the surrounding adventurers. Ainz felt that their attitude was only to be expected. After all, he was a supposed clueless newcomer who was sneering at the rules by which they abided.

As an undead being, Ainz felt nothing, but the remnants of Suzuki Satoru's salaryman sensibilities made Ainz want to apologize to everyone around him.

Suzuki Satoru hated those people who rejected other's opinions without offering solutions of their own, and crappy customers who knew nothing.

Right now, Ainz was part of the latter group, and he wanted to give himself a good punch.

However, Ainz could not back down easily. He wanted to, but he could still deal with a situation of this level. Therefore, Ainz pulled out his ultimate trump card.

"The person behind me is my companion, Erika. She is a magician of the sixth tier. Though she is young, she has a huge amount of potential that has managed to surpass the greatest magic caster of the Baharuth Empire, the Tri-Arts Fluder Paradyne."

The air shuddered with a collective gasp, and everyone looked at Erika in surprise. In this world, sixth tier spells were the highest that only one magic caster have achieved.

 _Is he for real?_ The eyes of the surrounding people shifted to Ainz's stylish weaponry and fancy black coat, dubious of his claim.

Adventurers wore equipment which matched their abilities. The stronger they were, the better the gear they outfitted themselves with. Ainz's weapons and black coat was very eye-catching and he travelled with a young girl like Erika, both of which were very persuasive.

Noticing the changes around him, Ainz cheered inside his heart, and decided to strike while the iron was hot:

"I, personally, am a warrior of comparable strength to Erika. I am very sure that a job like that would be a trivial task for me."

The receptionist and the other adventurers were not as surprised in comparison to just now. They seemed to be looking at Ainz with different eyes.

"We did not become adventurers to do jobs for a few pieces of copper. I wish to take on a higher ranked job. If you wish to see our strength, I will be more than glad to show it to you."

The hostility towards them was fading rapidly, and there were whispers of, "Indeed, that's right," and "No wonder." After all, the rough men called adventurers valued strength, and they understood what Ainz was trying to say.

However, the counter girl was a different matter.

"...I am very sorry, but we cannot let you take this job due to rules."

The receptionist lowered her head in apology, and Ainz took a victory pose in his heart.

"Then it can't be helped... It seems I've put you in a difficult position," Ainz replied as he nodded in apology.

"Then, help me pick the most challenging copper plate job, then. There should be others besides the ones on the noticeboard, right?"

"Ah, there are, I know."

The receptionist stood up, and just as Ainz was about to cry tears of joy at his absolute victory, a man's voice reached his ears.

"How about helping us with our work, then?"

"What?"

He had reflexively responded in a low, threatening tone. Ainz looked over, but all saw a four-man adventurer team, their silver plates glittering on their necklaces.

Ainz grumbled internally — Afternall the effort to misdirect them — and turned to face those people.

"The job in question... It's a worthwhile assignment... Right?"

The person who responded was a man who looked like the team's leader. He wore some sort of banded armor — strips of metal woven together with metal threads over a leather or chain backing — and carried himself like a warrior.

Should he join this man's team and work with them? Of course, he could decide after hearing them out, but then there was no telling if the receptionist girl would help them pick a job after he spoke with them. However, if he took their job, there would be a chance to build relations with them and obtain useful information.

Several seconds passed.

Ainz slowly nodded:

"Worthwhile jobs are exactly what I seek. Then, let us work together. However, I would like to ask what sort of job it is."

After hearing his response, the men asked the receptionist to prepare a room for them.

It looked like a meeting room, with a wooden table lined with chairs in the middle. The men streamed in and sat down.

"Please have a seat."

Ainz did as he was told, and Erika silently took a place beside him.

The men were all quite young, probably under twenty, but there was no childishness in them and they possessed maturity which did not match their ages. Although they seemed to have seated themselves randomly around the table, judging by their distance and positioning, they could draw their weapons at any time.

This unconscious display must have been a habit born from countless close encounters worn death.

"Before we begin discussing the job, let us introduce ourselves."

The speaker was the man who looked like a warrior.

He had the typical blond hair and blue eyes of the Kingdom, and while there were no other distinguishing features on him, he looked quite handsome.

"I'm the leader of the 'Swords of Darkness,' Peter Mauk. That fellow over there is the eyes and ears of our team, the ranger Lukrut Volve."

A leather-armored blond man nodded in acknowledgement, and brown eyes seemed to have a spark of delight in them. He was slender and long-limbed, kind of like a spider, but his lean torso was wiry and muscular.

"Next is our magic caster and the brains of the group, Ninya, The Spellcaster."

"Pleased to meet you."

He was probably the youngest person in the group, with dark brown hair and blue eyes.

Though he was an adult, the smile on his face looked too youthful.

Unlike the tanned skin of the group's other members, his skin was pale, and his face was the prettiest of the group's. It was of an androgynous beauty than any masculine concept of attractiveness. His voice was higher-pitched than the others.

In fact, according to Ainz's analysis of one of his advanced job classes from one of the three low tier job classes he chose before coming to E-Rantel — 「Grand Sage」 from the 「Sage」job class — he can identify as a female, not a male. As a result, Ainz would refer Ninya as a she, but for now, he should let things go with the flow.

However, the smile on her face was like a mask, though it was not entirely fake.

While the others all wore armor, she wore a leather robe. However, Ainz could see beneath the table she had various strange items on her belt, including oddly-shaped bottles and peculiar wooden objects and so on.

Especially when he saw the small, but unnoticeable size of her, *ahem*, chest.

"...But Peter, can you not use that embarrassing nickname?"

"Eh? But it's a good one."

"You have a nickname?" Ainz asked, with no idea what was going on, Lukrut explained:

"He's a talent holder, and a genius magic caster."

"Oh..." Ainz murmured: he and Pandora had questioned three of the Sunlight Scripture members to get that information, and nose there was a live example in front of him. Ainz was delighted.

Erika nodded in understanding. Ainz sighed in relief after he realized that she, at least he thought, had complimented Ninya's nickname. Though he knew her level was sixty six, at least he could understand a bit of her odd way of thinking that is WAY too similar to his own thinking.

But her personality was another story for a different tale.

"It's nothing much, it's just that I happened to have a talent pertaining to that field..."

"Oh..."

Ainz was even more interested, and he leaned forward, straining to listen.

Much like martial arts, talents were abilities that did not exist in YGGDRASIL but which were unique to this world. About one in every two hundred people was born with a talent. While talent-holders were not rare, the abilities themselves varied greatly in potency and type.

For instance, there were talents like being able to predict tomorrow's weather with seventy percent accuracy, the ability to strengthen summoned monsters, hastening the harvest by several days, using the magic of dragons which once ruled this world, and so on.

However, all of these inborn abilities, which could not be chosen or changed. It was quite common to encounter situations where these abilities could not be applied. If someone was born with a talent that could improve the destructive power of their magic, but they never had the chance to become a magic caster, then their talent would be useless.

There very few people who could make good use of their talents. There were almost talents which could dictate the course of one's entire life, apart from a few exceptionally powerful talents.

The best proof of that statement was Gazef Stronoff, who was a warrior without a talent.

However, people with combat-applicable talents tended to go into the adventuring profession. Therefore, talent-holders were a common sight among adventurers. The person before him was one of those lucky few who could fully utilize her talent.

"I think this talent had something to do with being suited to studying magic, and he only took four years to learn what should have taken eight years. I'm not a magic caster, so I'm not sure how great that is."

Ainz was a magic caster as well. Those words made him curium, and awake a collector's desire within his. This was an ability which he and Pandora did not possess, and which could strengthen any possible organization on which he was planning to create. If he could gain control of that ability, it might be worth making enemies of everyone here.

Shrinking thenyime. It took to learn an ability like this should have been the province of a Super Tier spell, 「Wish Upon A Star」.

The two of them continued talking, without realizing that Ainz was watching them under his hooded helmet, like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey.

"...I'm really lucky that I was born with this ability, because it allowed me to take a step closer to my dream. Without this power, I would have ended my days as a lowly peasant."

Ninya's mutterings was gloomy and solemn. As though to sweep away the grim air hanging over the room, Peter continued in a completely different tone:

"Well, no matter what, you're still a famous talent-holder in this city."

"Still, there's people more famous than me."

"The leader of Blue Rose?"

"That person's famous too, but I was talking about someone within this city."

"You mean, Bareare-shi!?" shouted the last person, who had not yet been introduced yet. Ainz was curious about the name and asked:

"...And what sort of talent does that person have?"

A look of surprise came over all four of them. It would seem this was common knowledge.

Ainz had asked that question because he was curious and wanted to acquire an ability which could strengthen his current base of operations. Therefore, in response to the regret he felt over his carelessness, he told himself that there had to be some way to recover from a mistake like this.

However, before Ainz could explain, the other side came to a conclusion of their own:

"I see, the reason why we don't know you at all despite that stylish coat, swords, and your companion is because you're not from around here, am I right?"

Ainz nodded at this heaven-sent mercy of a question.

"Indeed, that is correct. The truth is, I only arrived here yesterday. Whereas she came to this city a week earlier than me."

"Oh, so you wouldn't know, then? He's a famous person in this town, but he's probably not that famous that distant cities would know about him, huh?"

"Yes, I've never heard of him before. If you don't mind, could you tell me about him?"

"His name is Nfirea Bareare, the grandson of a famous herbalist. His talent allows him to use any magic item. Not only can he use scrolls of a different spellcasting system from himself, he can even use items made by the non-human races. Even items restricted to those of royal blood shouldn't be a problem either."

"...Oh."

Ainz tried his best not to let them hear the awe in his voice.

 _How much could his talent do? Could he use the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown — which only the guildmaster could use — as well as World Class Items? Or did it have limits?_

He was someone to be wary of, but he could be very useful as well.

Ainz could hear Erika mutter something like, "So that's Nfirea Bareare's talent that Okaa-sama once told me." Ainz could feel her trying her very best to not let them hear the awe in her voice as well.

 _...To think that coming to this city was the right decision._

"Momon-san, is something the matter?"

"Oh, no, it's fine, don't worry. Speaking of which, could you tell about your last friend?"

"Yes. He's a druid — Dyne Woodwonder. He uses healing spells and magic that controls nature, and he's well versed in herbal lore. Let him know if there's anything wrong with your body; he has medicine that's good for stomach pains."

"Pleased to meet you!" came the greeting from the burly, barbaric-looking man with a full, bushy beard. However, he seemed younger than how Ainz appeared.

There was a very faint smell of grass from him, which came from the cloth pouch tied to his waist.

"Then, it's time for us to introduce ourselves. She is Erika, I am Momon. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Wonderful, I hope we'll get along. Then, Momon-san, just address me by my first name. Right, while it feels a little wrong to get to business so abruptly, we should probably start discussing the job. As for that, the truth is what we're asking you for doesn't really qualify as work."

"That means..."

Upon hearing Ainz's confusion, Peter extended his hand to halt him, with the intention of delaying the question for a later date.

"This job is to hunt monsters that appear around the town."

"Clearing out monster, huh...?"

 _That was enough to count as work. Or was there some special adventurer reason which made him say that it did not qualify?_ Ainz wanted to ask about that, but if this was common knowledge, asking that question might make him appear clueless, which was bad. Therefore, he tried asking a safe question instead.

"What sorts of monsters will we be exterminating?"

"Ah, we're not exterminating monsters. After hunting monsters, the city council will pay us a reward based on their strength. What do they call it where you come from, Momon-san?"

 _So that was it._

Ainz understood. When Peter said that this does not qualify as work, in YGGDRASIL terms, it was more like killing spawned monsters and taking the items they dropped.

"This is something we have to do to make a living," said the druid — Dyne Woodwonder — in his deep baritone.

Following that, Lukrut spoke up as well.

"For us, it's making a living, but what we do also reduces the danger to the surrounding people. The traders can come and go in peace and the country can collect its takes. All in all, it's a way to earn money without anyone losing out."

"Nowadays, most countries with guild's do this, but five years ago, this sort of thing was nonexistent. It's quite surprising."

Everyone in the team nodded as Ninya spoke. They began chatting amongst themselves, leaving no openings for Ainz to cut in. Still, it would be odd to know absolutely nothing about this country, so Ainz decided to shut up and listen to what they said.

"It's all thanks to the Golden Princess, long may she live."

"She proposed a policy through that would wave taxes on adventurers, although it never got passed."

"Oh, to think she paid so much attention to adventurers."

"Indeed. Some rulers would treat armed organizations who were not loyal to the country as enemies. Even the Empire isn't so generous."

"That princess sure is brilliant, coming out with all these great proposals... Although almost all of them were shot down."

"I want to marry a beautiful girl like that~"

"Then, shouldn't you work on getting ennobled?"

"Ah — no way, no way, I couldn't live a stifled life like that."

"I think being a noble's not so bad. After all, the Kingdom pretty much allows a noble to trample the peasants and do as they please."

There was a strong undercurrent of mockery hidden beneath Ninya's words. Ainz furrowed his nonexistent brows within his helmet, but Erika remained still, the looks of her face were covered by her white mask. Lukrut replied in a jovial tone:

"Uwah~ that tongue of yours is still so vicious. You really hate nobles, don't you?"

"I know that some nobles are honorable, but my big sister was taken away by that pig. I can't not hate nobles.

"...We're getting sidetracked here! We shouldn't be talking about this sort of thing in front of our comrades, Momon-shi and Miss Erika."

After Dyne tried to get everyone back one track, Peter coughed in an incredibly fake manner before continuing:

"And so, we'll be searching for monsters in the nearby region. We're close to a developed region, so the monsters shouldn't be too strong. Does that displease you, Momon-san?"

Peter spread a piece of parchment on the table. It looked to be a map of the surrounding region. The map showed villages, forests, rivers, and so on.

"Basically, we'll be hunting south and looking around this area."

His finger moved from the center of the parchment of the vicinity of the Southern forest.

"We'll be hunting monsters in the forest bordering the Slaine Theocracy. The only creatures who can hit the back line are Goblins with magic items that grant flight."

"However, we won't get much for killing such weak monsters."

Ainz had his doubts about this group's easygoing attitude.

From what Ainz knew, there were many kinds of named Goblins in YGGDRASIL, and their levels ranged from one to fifty. Since individual Goblins could vary widely in power, one could not lump the Goblins into one big group. A moment's carelessness could lead to dire consequences.

 _Did their relaxed attitudes mean that they were confident of not encountering high-level Goblins, or did it mean that this world's Goblins were simply that weak?_

"...What if a powerful Goblin shows up?"

"While it's true that powerful Goblins exist, they won't show up in the forest we're heading towards, because these Goblins are usually tribal leaders. They won't mobilize their entire tribes just for us."

"The Goblins know about humanity's area of influence, so they're full aware of the retaliation that'll be headed that way of they launch a large-scale attack. It's especially true when it comes to the stronger Goblins, since they tend to be the higher-ranked and more intelligent members of their species."

"Plus, Erika-san can use third tier magic instead of sixth tier. So it should be fine even if we encounter high level Goblins, right?"

"I see. However, I'd like to remind you that there are Goblins who can use third tier magic, and probably use sixth tier magic if we include that probability. Just for my reference, could you tell me about the monsters we might encounter?"

The Swords of Darkness turned in unison to look at Ninya. Picking up on their thoughts, Ninya began explaining with a teacherly look on her face.

"We're likely to encounter Goblins and the wolves they raised. As for other monsters, there haven't bee any strong ones sighted around this area. The most dangerous monsters we might encounter on the plains are probably ogres and the sixth tier magic using Goblins that mentioned in your probability, Momon-san."

"We won't be entering the forest?"

"Yes, because the forest is very dangerous. We can still deal with things like Jumping Leeches and Giant Beetles, but the Hanging Spiders which spit webs at you from the trees and the Forest Worms which maul you from the ground with their huge jaws are harder to handle."

 _No wonder._

Ainz nodded in acknowledgement. _So their aim was to hunt the monsters from the forest which made their way into the plains._

"That's how it is, Momon-san. How about it? Want to lend us a hand?"

"...Mm. then, I'll be in your care... Although before that, could you tell me about the pay for this?"

"Ah, yes, that's right, the payment is very important. Basically, since Momon-san's team and our team are working together, the plan is to split it evenly."

"Going by the numbers of our teams, it seems awfully generous."

"However, when the monsters appear, I hope you and Erika-san will take half of them as well. We can only use spells of up to the second tier. So when we factor your abilities in, that division of the money seems quite logical."

Ainz pretended to think for a while before nodding his head in agreement.

"I have no problems with that arrangement. Then, let us fight shoulder to shoulder. Also, since we're working together, I guess I should let everyone see my true face."

With that, Ainz removed his helmet. The four people before him seemed quite surprised at what they saw.

"...Black eyes and hair, so he shouldn't have been born in this area. I've heard that in the south, people like Momon-san are commonplace... How about you Erika-san?"

"Huh? Who, me? I guess I should let everyone see my face for at least once in a while."

With that, Erika removed her mask. Everyone around her seemed quite surprised at they saw.

"...Black eyes and hair like Momon-san, so she shouldn't have been born in this area as well... Did you people come from that region? The south, I mean."

Ainz replied back to Ninya:

"Yes. We have come here from a faraway land."

 _He's older than I thought, he's already an uncle._

 _Hey, that's rude._

 _A warrior on par with a magic caster of the sixth tier shouldn't be around that age._

 _Miss Erika's pretty amazing too. I never thought she'd be this cute._

Ainz's keen ears picked up their whispered words, with the exception of Peter's.

Being called an uncle made Ainz feel uncomfortable, but it probably couldn't be helped that he was an uncle in the eyes of these youngsters. If one was an adult by the age of sixteen, then Ainz was definitely an uncle to them.

But, when Ainz saw Erika's face. He never how she looked like under that mask of hers. However...

 _Her entire facial appearance is an illusion._

Indeed. When an undead player with the same level as Ainz back in YGGDRASIL, the player can see through illusions to a certain extent. However, if the undead has an Illusionist job classes — Like Ainz chose to spend on some his level points — it would be an utter embarrassment if they don't see through illusions. But they can also sense illusions instead of seeing through them. If they have any sort of decency at all.

After all, illusions were sometimes meant as to hide someone's identity. Therefore, Ainz did not have to see through Erika's illusionary face to prove she was hiding something. Ainz, as well, was using an illusion to cover up his undead appearance. So it was fair game between him and Erika.

"We'll be covering our faces up after showing it to you. There might be trouble if other people know me and Erika are foreigners."

With that, Ainz and Erika put on their respective covers on again. After that, Ainz smiled in satisfaction under his helmet. This was because Ainz had enchanted himself with an illusion — although urban a high-grade type, which would be seen through if there was an advanced Illusionist with a high level — just in case.

"Since we'll be hunting together, it would probably be good to get questions out of the way at this point. Do you have anything to ask me?"

"Me!"

A hand shot up toward the ceiling after Ainz asked his question. That hand belonged to Lukrut.

After making sure that nobody else was asking a question other than himself, Lukrut cheerfully asked Erika:

"What kind of relationship do you two have!"

The room was filled with silence.

Ainz had no idea what Lukrut meant by that question. However, Peter and his people had picked up on Lukrut's intentions.

"...We are companions."

After Ainz's answer, Lukrut's next few words threw the room into an uproar.

"I've fallen for you! Even if you look so young, it's love at first sight! Please go out with me!"

Everyone turned to look at Lukrut. After realising that Lukrut's words were not a joke to deepen their friendship, Ainz shifted his gaze to Erika. As the center of attention, Erika took a deep breath before replying:

"Die, you shameless pervert! Unlike any other stupid idiots I know, you're the most stupidest and most idiotic out of them all!"

The silence was even more deafening than before.

"Ah, no..."

Ainz made to lighten the mood, but Lukrut stole a march on him and said, "Thank you for the firm rejection! Then, let's start as friends!"

"Die, you stupid idiot! How could I possibly be friends with you!? Or do you want me to impale you with the 「Crystal Lance」spell I learned from my mother!? Or do you want me beat you up with my bare fists!?"

After turning away from the feuding pair, Ainz and Peter bowed to each other in apology.

"...My comrade has made trouble for you."

"No, I should be the one apologizing. She inherited her personality from her mother." and then, Ainz thought, _Or it could be from her father._

"We'll call it quits, then. Is that all right?"

Peter looked around before speaking, though he kept his eyes from the grinning Lukrut and the cold-eyed Erika.

"Then, Momon-san. If you're ready, then let's move out. We're already prepared."

After hearing the word "ready," Ainz suddenly thought of something.

He had already purchased the minimum required gear from the innkeeper. Although Ainz did not need to waste space on food and drinks, it would be weird if he did not eat or drink anything, so he had some ready just in case.

"All right, once we distribute the rations, we can set out right away."

"Are rations the only thing you need to prepare? If you're not going to buy them from a specialist shop, why not get some dry rations from the counter? They'll prepare them for you right away."

"Is that so? That's good to hear. We can finish our preparations right away."

"Then, let's go."

Everyone rose and left the room.

* * *

After returning to the guild lobby, there were more adventurers than before, and here were several teams standing near the parchment-covered noticeboard. However, everyone's attention seemed focused on a certain teenager.

The blond-haired teenager was talking to one of the counter girls, and the other two receptionists were leaning in to eavesdrop on their conversation. If things had been busy when Ainz came in, the current situation was now the exact opposite.

The counter girl's face — no, her mouth was in an O shape. It was a look of surprise. And the person she was looking at was none other than Ainz himself.

 _What's going on here?_

Just as doubt started welling up inside Ainz, the counter girl approached and said:

"There is a job here asking for you by name."

Those words changed the air in the room instantly. Ainz could feel many curious eyes staring unreservedly at him.

The Swords of Darkness were similarly shocked.

Ainz paid them no heed, especially at Erika, who seemed to be observing the situation. Ainz asked the counter girl:

"And who is this person who has asked for me by name?"

The moment those words cleared his mouth, Ainz cursed himself. Who else could it be but the boy in front of him?

"That would be Nfirea Bareare-san."

 _I just heard that name_ — as Ainz thought this, the boy approached him.

"Pleased to meet you. I was the one who put out that job."

The boy nodded slightly, and Ainz returned the gesture.

"Actually, this request—"

Before the boy could finish speaking, Ainz raised his hand to interrupt:

"My deepest apologies, but ice already made an agreement with someone else for a job, so I cannot accept your request right away."

The air in the room seemed to shudder as he said this. The reaction of the Swords of Darkness was more intense than Ainz's own:

"Momon-san! He asked for you by name!"

Peter's response filled Ainz with doubt. _Was a personal request something to be surprised about? However—_

"That may be so, but should I not carry out the job I've been requested to do earlier?"

Ainz's decision seemed to have been the right one. Some of the adventurers around him were nodding in approval. Just then, he had a flash of inspiration:

"However... Our job is hardly a request. If we don't meet any monsters, there won't be any pay to speak of..."

Peter's words to Ainz trailed off, and he sounded reluctant to speak them.

Being hired by the boy with the famous grandmother was a far cry from wandering around the onscreen trying to kill monsters. That was why Peter sounded like he wanted to give up on the job.

With that conclusion in mind, Ainz gently said:

"...Then how about this, Peter-san? Bareare-san has not told me about the job's details, payment, timeframe, and such. I will hear him out and make my decision then."

"I'm all right with that, of course. Though I'd like to finish it quickly, it can wait a day or two."

"Then, please allow my friends from Swords of Darkness to be present during the job briefing... No, I should say, if the negotiations fall through, I would like the privilege of carrying out my previous task first."

"Eh? Momon-san, is it all right for us to come with you?"

"Of course. I hope you will be party to the discussion and provide your opinions."

After the Swords of Darkness gave their approval, Ainz and company returned to the room from just now.

He felt very busy.

Once more, Ainz smiled bitterly and took his seat from just now. Erika sat beside him, while the boy was one seat away from them. The Swords of Darkness went back to their previous places.

The first to speak among them was, of course, the boy:

"The receptionist mentioned it earlier, but I think it would be best if I introduced myself. I am Nfirea Bareare, and I work as a herbalist in this city. As for the details of the job, I will soon be heading into the nearby forest as planned. Since everyone knows the forest is dangerous. I was hoping that you could be my guardians, as well as help in harvesting herbs if possible."

"Bodyguarding, huh. I see."

Ainz nodded calmly. He had the feeling that this job would be a troublesome one.

Ainz knew he was powerful, and he could probably exterminate any attacking monster when going all out. However, he was not as confident when it came to carrying out an escort mission. This was because Ainz was a magic caster, and still lacked the specialized magic and skills to become shields for other people. Ainz silently cursed himself for not being so prepared as he thought he would be. Even when his level was two hundred.

"Compared to the usual amount, the payment will be—"

"—Please hold on a moment. The task of bodyguarding suits you well. Then, Peter-san, would you like me to take you on instead?"

"Eh?"

"If it's a job that involves bodyguarding and harvesting herbs, don't you think we'd be more effective with Lukrut-san the ranger and Dyne-san the druid?"

"Oh! Good eye, Momon-shi. As a druid, I can show my true ability in the forest, perhaps even more so than Lukrut the ranger."

Dyne's baritone seemed to carry an undercurrent of pride. Lukrut was not happy and said:

"Dyne-san, you really went and said it, huh."

"It's an undeniable truth, given the abilities of druids! And don't forget that I'm trained in herbalism too!"

"Hmph — Peter, I'm fine too. I'll show you who's better of us, between Druid-san and myself."

"I'll take that to be agreement, then. If we see any monsters on the way, we'll kill them and claim the reward when we get back to town. As for Bareare-san's payment, what if we divided it equally, Peter-san?"

"If you're fine with it, then I have no objections, Momon-san."

"Bareare-san, sorry for the wait. If it's all right with you, could you permit everyone here to accept the job that you just offered?"

"I don't mind that. Then, I'll be counting on all of you. Ah, you can just call me Nfirea."

Ainz and the others began introducing themselves to Nfirea. Although Erika lashed Lukrut with her sharp tongue, they managed to successfully complete their self-introductions.

"Then, what ice done in the past is to proceed to Carne Village to set up a base of operations before venturing into the forest. The amount of time we'll spend depends on the herbs that we can gather, but it will be three days at the latest. In the past, it's been a couple of days on average."

"Will we be walking there?"

"Ah, yes. There will be a horse cart, but it'll be full of pots and bottles for gathering herbs, so there's not much room for you to ride."

"Can we replenish our rations in Carne Village?"

"Water should be fine, but food might be a problem, because Carne Village isn't very big."

The Swords of Darkness began discussing the preparations for the journey, as well as asking Nfirea several questions. As Ainz saw this, he decided to speak up as well:

"May I ask a few questions?"

After seeing Nfirea smile and nod in reply, Ainz began with the first question.

"Why me? I've only arrived in this city by carriage recently, and as such I have no friends here, nor am I renowned in this area. That being the case, why did you ask for me? In addition, you mentioned that you've done this in the past, which implies that in the past you've hired other adventurers. How about them?"

Ainz's gaze was keen under his helmet.

He did not know why the boy had called him out. If he had been exposed, then he would need to change his disguise and his approach to things.

Ainz studied Nfirea closely — though he could not see his eyes, due to the hair concealing them — but he could not tell what the boy truly wanted.

 _Could it be that he was overthinking this?_ Just as Ainz was beginning to get suspicious, Nfirea replied:

"Ah, the adventurers I hired in the past have all left E-Rantel for another city. That why I was looking for new adventurers. Also, actually... I heard what happened in the inn from one of its guests."

"What happened in the inn?"

"Yes, I heard that someone effortlessly threw an adventurer one rank higher than himself..."

"I see..."

Ainz had planned to use a show of strength to increase his renown. Had this boy taken the bait? Once more, as suspicion welled up in Ainz's, Nfirea smiled and pointed to the plate on Ainz's neck.

"Plus, copper ranked adventurers are cheaper, right? Hopefully we'll get along for a while yet."

"Haha, I do hope so."

Ainz understood how it was like to hire an untested rookie. He slowly felt himself lowering his guard, but there was one thing that worried him. If that really happened—

As Ainz thought about this, the other were asking questions one by one, which Nfirea took in stride. After there were no more questions, Nfirea announced:

"Then, let's move out once we're ready!"

* * *

In the dead of the night, a hooded person entered the giant graveyard of E-Rantel, with steps that made it seem as though it were gliding across the ground.

The person's hooded, jet-black cape and the way it's waist and shoulders did not move up and down as it advanced was quite peculiar, resembling a ghost when viewed afar.

The figure deftly avoided the magical illumination of the tomb and proceeded ever inward.

Before long, the figure arrived at a mausoleum, and shed its hood.

The figure was a young woman of around twenty, in the flower of her youth.

She had a pretty face, and she was cute in the way of a kitty or other small animal. Still, while she looked adorable, there was a carnivore's predatory nature under that face of hers.

"I'm here~"

As she spoke in playful tones, the girl ran her fingers through her short blonde hair and pushed pones the stone doors to the mausoleum. The noises of clattering metal came from under her cloak, like the sound of chain mail.

Once inside the mausoleum, all the slabs for corpses were empty. The grave goods for the deceased had already been taken away.

Perhaps it was the scent of all the incense absorbed by the stone, but a fragrant smell tickled the girl's nose.

The file furrowed her brows, then headed steadily inwards.

"Hm hm Hm — hm~"

The girl pressed on an unobtrusive little carving as she hummed. As the carving moved, there was a click as something made contact with something else. A moment later, the sound of grinding came forth. The slabs slowly moved aside, and a path leading downstairs appeared.

"I'm coming in~"

With those sing-song words, the girl descended the staircase. It curved halfway, and led to a wide open space beneath the earth.

Although the walls and floor were made of mud, they looked like they had been reinforced so they would not collapse so easily. The air was relatively clean, the airflow to this place was good, which kept the air in here fresh.

However, this was not part of the graveyard; it was something far more malevolent in nature.

Menacing tapestries hung on the walls, with several crimson candles made from the flesh blood below it. They gave off a pale radiance, as well as a smell of burning blood.

The flickering flames generated countless shadows, and there were several holes here, big enough for people to pass through. The unique corpse stench of low tier undead wafted out from those holes.

The girl looked around, and her eyes stopped on a certain place.

"Ah~ creepy guy who's hiding in a corner, you've got a guest~"

The man watching his surroundings from his hiding place in the dark corners of the room heard those words, and his shoulders trembled.

"Hi~ I'm here to meet Khazi-chan who's supposed to be here, is he~?"

The man seemed a little lost as to what to do, and as he heard the sound of footsteps again, his shoulders shook once more.

"It's fine. You may leave now."

After the newcomer spoke to the man, he revealed himself.

He was a skinny man.

His eyes were sunken in, and his face was a corpse-like pale white, which could be summarized in the word "lifeless." His scalp was bereft of any hair, nor were there any eyebrows, eyelashes, or any body hair at all. He gave the impression that he was completely hairless.

Given that, there was no way to tell his age at all, but since there were no wrinkles on his skin, he probably was not that old.

The man was dressed in a dark red robe that was the color of dried blood, and wore a necklace made of the skulls of small animals. His hands were so shrivelled that they resembled claws, and his fingers — tipped with dirty yellow fingernails — were wrapped around a black staff. Rather than a human, he looked more like an undead monster.

"Hai~ Khazi-chan~"

The man frowned as he heard the girl's playing greeting.

"Can you not address me like that? It'll damage the reputation of Zuranon."

Zuranon.

They were a powerful and evil secret society, counting several veteran magic casters among their number and led by a wise leader. After orchestrating several tragedies, they had become enemies of the countries in the region.

"Reeeeally...?"

The fact the the girl did not wish to change the way she addressed him made the man frowned even more.

"...And then? Why did you come here? You know I'm infusing energy into the Orb of Death, right? If you're here to make trouble, I have ways to deal with that too."

The man narrowed his eyes, and tightened his grip on his staff.

"Noooooo, Khazi-chan~ I just came here to bring you this~"

The girl flashed him a coquettish smile and reached around her cape. There was the sound of clattering, and then the girl triumphantly produced the item she had been looking for.

It was a circlet.

Countless small gems adorned thin, metallic threads, looking for all the world like a spiderweb covered in water droplets. The item was exquisitely made, and in the middle of the circlet — where the wearer's forehead would give — was a large black crystal.

"This is—!"

The man could not help but stare in silence.

Although he had only seen it from a distance, there was one mistake here. This was the crown he had seen once before.

"The symbol of a Miko Princess, the Crown of Wisdom! This is one of the treasures of the Slaine Theocracy!"

"Correct~ I saw a cute girl wearing this strange crown, but it looked so wrong on her head that I took it off~ And then I was Soooooo surprised! She went mad~ peeing and crapping herself~"

The girl convulsed in laughter.

The Miko Princess stood at the heart of the Slaine Theocracy's rituals. There was no way that she — as a former Black Scripture — would not know what would happen when she snatched the Crown of Wisdom away from its bearer.

After all, when the time came for a new Miko Princess to be appointed, the job of the Black Scripture was to remove the Crown from its current wearer, and then promptly send the now-insane Miko Princess to be with the gods.

"Still, it can't be helped. It's the only way to obtain this — it's the fault of the person who made the Crown, he's the one to blame~"

There was no way to safely remove the Crown of Wisdom. The only option was to destroy it.

However, the Crown would delete the wearer's personality and turn a human being into a magic item that could use incredibly high-tiered spells, so nobody would do anything wasteful like destroying it.

Still, there were such madmen around.

"Hmph, to think you'd betray the Black Scripture for such a trash. Why not steal one of the Divine artifacts of the Six Gods?"

"Calling it trash is too mean~"

The man laughed at the girl who puffed up her face.

"Nothing wrong with calling it trash, right? Girls who can wear an item like this are one in a million. Finding a wearer for this would probably be impossible, even in the Slaine Theocracy."

The Slaine Theocracy was the only one in the surrounding countries that kept detailed registers and genealogies of its citizens. Therefore, by consulting those registers, one could easily find a wearer for the item — in other words, a sacrifice.

Without that, it would be hard for even Zuranon to find such a person.

"But really now, it's impossible to get those artifacts~ After all, that antique show is guarded by the strongest monster of the Black Scripture, that ancient beast with the blood of the Six Gods that's beyond the realm of humanity~"

"A God-Kin, huh... Is that fellow really so strong? I've only heard about it from you."

"It's stronger than the idea of strength. The relevant information has been sealed up, which is why you don't know~ If someone who knew about it was interrogated with mind-affecting magic, it would be very bad. I've heard if the secret got out, it'd lead a total war with the surviving true Dragon Lords, which means the Slaine Theocracy would get destroyed in the crossfire, so I hope you'll pretend you never heard any of it~"

"...I find that hard to believe."

"Well, anyone who hasn't seen that power would think so~ Well then, let's get down to business. Khazit Dale Badantel — are you willing to help me out ad a fellow member of the Twelve Executives?"

The girl's tone finally changed.

"Oh, showing your true face at last, oh fragment of Quintus? But don't call me Dale. I've cast away that baptismal name."

"...Then don't call me fragment of Quintia, h'm? Call me Clementine."

"...Clementine, what do you want me help you with?"

"There's a pretty outstanding talent holder in this town, no? Maybe that guy could wear this item~"

"...I see, that guy from the stories. Still, you could easily handle the task of kidnapping a single human being by yourself, no?"

"Mm, that right~ But I'd like some sort of confusion while I make my move~"

"I see... A distraction while you flee, huh..."

"What about it? What if I was willing to help with your ritual? It's a good deal, right~?"

The man — Khazit — narrowed his eyes, and smiled evilly:

"Wonderful, Clementine. If you're willing to help me, I can carry out the rite of death. Very well, I shall aid you with all the resources in my disposal."

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **Happy New Year everyone! I, gabrielchiong11, would like thank you all for the support you guys gave me in 2018, and 2019 is right around the corner in my country the Philippines in twelve AM in the morning.**

 **If you like to send any sort of art in DeviantArt be sure to see my account that reads Gabrielchiong.**

 **Gabrielchiong11 out! And have a Happy New Year!**


	11. Volume II Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord, nor any elements used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

There were two routes leading northeast to Carne Village from E-Rantel.

One headed north, and then east along the outskirts of the forest. The other went eastwards, then north.

This time, they went by the first route.

Travelling along the edge of the forest meant that there would be a higher chance of encountering monsters. It was the wrong choice, from a bodyguard's perspective.

That said, everyone still wanted to go by that route. This was because Ainz wanted to fulfill the job Peter and friends first offered them, that of monster hunting. Although it seemed like they were taking a great risk — in the same way that a hunter chasing two hares would catch neither — the presence of the Mighty Momon and Erika meant that they could take that route with peace of mind. Another reason was that Erika had demonstrated the spell 「Crystal Lance」outside the city, in order to prove she could at least cast a fourth tier spell that she claimed that her mother taught her that spell.

In addition, they would not be entering the forest, just travelling along the edges. Thus, any monsters that appeared would not be too strong, and could be taken down by everyone working together. It was also a good chance for each adventurer team to observe the other's strength. They had taken these points into consideration before making their decision.

After leaving E-Rantel, the sun was its zenith, and the travellers could see a vast stretch of dense and primeval dark green forests in the distance. The thick tree trunks stood tall, while their leafy branches spread wide. Because light could not penetrate into the depths of the forest, there was a feeling that they would be swallowed by the blackness. The gaps between the trees looked like a gaping maw for prey to throw themselves into it, which contributed to the sense of unease that they felt.

* * *

The group was arrayed around the wagon as they moved forward. Naturally, Nfirea was driving the wagon. Lukrut the ranger walked ahead of him, Peter the warrior was on the left of the wagon, while Dyne the druid and Ninya the magic caster were on the right. Finally, Momon and Erika brought up the rear.

Visibility was good, so everyone was not too tense. However, Peter's voice contained its first hint of severity as he spoke:

"Momon-san, this stretch is a dangerous area. Although we should be able to handle any monsters that appear, please be careful all the same."

"Understood."

As Ainz nodded, he suddenly thought of something.

If he was in a game, he could tell what sort of monsters would spawn in a given location, but in reality, that would be impossible. Only the gods knew if a troublesome enemy would show up.

After the Battle of Carne Village several days ago and after incorporating the former men of the Slaine Theocracy units, Ainz was quite confident in his strength. Of course, that was in his capacity as a magic caster, and in his skills of his Four Wisdoms combined. Now that Ainz was wearing a coat made from this world, there were few more things he needed to test with.

Could he served as an effective frontliner with all his magic strengths sealed off, and limited to his own physical strength? Maybe, but surely he could master them as time permits him. In addition, as a bodyguard, his victory condition was not defeating the enemy, but protecting Nfirea from any harm, Ainz felt uneasy as he thought about that.

If the situation warranted it, he would remove all restraints and use any way possible. But if he did that, he would have to kill his companions or alter their memories, and Ainz did not want that at all. Especially when the strange girl — Erika — was expecting something, but what?

 _It's a pain in the ass._

Ainz turned to look at Erika, seemingly ignoring him.

He had made several contingent plans for such a theoretical situation as this. Ainz expected Erika to cast magic of her level — eighth or ninth tier — if things came to that. And if that did not work either, Ainz would shed most of his power and take the situation depending on its difficulty.

As he saw the two of them look at each other — although Ainz was wearing his full helm, and Erika with her mask — It would seem that Lukrut was under some sort of misconception. He addressed Erika in an airy, light hearted tone:

"It'll be fine, don't worry. Things won't be too troublesome as long as we don't get ambushed. And nothing will escape my eyes and ears when I'm in charge. I'm great, aren't I, Erika-san?"

In response to Lukrut's earnest demeanor, Erika merely sneered under her mask:

"Momon-san, may I have your permission to beat this... Idiot?"

"Ah, Erika-san graced me with her cold words!"

Everyone smiled bitterly as Lukrut raised his thumb, but they did not seem to mind Erika's harsh retorts. They did not think Erika really thought of him, in general, as perverts or idiots, just certain individuals (Lukrut) in particular.

Ainz denied Erika's understandable request, feeling a cramping pain in his nonexistent gut. What is it that made her so unique? Why is she so damned similar to him?

Nfirea seemed to have misunderstood something, and he interrupted from the side:

"It'll be fine. In truth, the region from here to Carne Village is the territory of the "Wise King of the Forest." Therefore, we shouldn't meet any monsters unless our luck is very bad."

"The 'Wise King of the Forest?'"

Ainz recalled what he had learned in Carne Village.

The Wise King of the Forest was a monster that could use magic, and it was frighteningly powerful. Because its lair was in the depths of the forest, there were virtually no eye-witness reports about it, although its existence had been a topic of discussion since very long ago. Some people called it a four-legged silver beast with a snake for a tail, which had lived for hundreds of years.

 _Ah, I'd like to see it._ He did not know if the stories were true or false, but if it really had lived all these years, it should possess a surprising intellect. After all, it was called the Wise King of the Forest. If he could capture it... No, he should persuade it to his side.

Ainz pieced together a hazy image of what he thought the monster looked like in his mind.

 _With the name like "Wise King of the Forest," it might be an animal previously thought extinct... Like a monkey perhaps... Ah, an orangutan? That name means "man of the forest..." or was that "sage?" And it has a snake for a tail... Does a monster like that exist?_

Ainz felt that YGGDRASIL might have a monster like that. After racking his brains, he found an answer:

 _A Nue!... That creature has a monkey's head, a racoon's body, the limbs of a tiger, and a snake's tail... Although I'm not sure if it really is an YGGDRASIL monster. It might have been summoned, just like those angels._

Just as Ainz thought of YGGDRASIL's Nue, Lukrut called out to Erika again in a flighty tone:

"Well then, if we complete this mission perfectly, I wonder if my lovely Erika-chan's affection towards me will go up a little more?"

Erika clicked her tongue, her disgust welling up from the bottom of her heart.

Lukrut put on an exaggerated look of shock, but nobody spoke up for him. Everyone seemed to treat them as a comedy duo.

In this way, everyone chatted as they progressed forward, under the blazing sun that tanned the skin. Their boots were covered in the juices of trampled grass and smelled of grass. Erika seemed to be irritated by the heat of the blazing sun.

As he watched them wiping their sweat, Ainz was extremely grateful for his undead body. The strong sunlight did not fatigue him, and even wearing this thick, hot-looking coat did not tire him out.

Only Lukrut remained energetic and cheerful, talking and laughing with the others, who were marching in silence:

"It's okay guys, you don't have to be so alert. After all, nothing escapes my eyes and ears. Even Erika-chan trusts me, look how relaxed she is."

"It's not because of you. It's because we have Momon-san."

Erika frowned under mask. Sensing that something drastic might happen, Ainz put his hand on Erika's shoulder and body visibly softened.

Seeing their interaction, Lukrut tossed out a question:

"Huh, so it looks like you and Momon-san really are like siblings? Momon-san the protective elder brother, and Erika-chan his cute sister. Though it sounded a bit off for me to think that way."

"His, his sibling! What are you saying!? My older brother should be Pan—!"

She stopped herself immediately, before she even completed her last word.

"You!" Ainz shouted despite himself. "What are you saying, Erika!?"

"Ah!"

Erika's eyes went wide under her mask and she covered her mouth using her mask. Ainz coughed, and then coldly said:

"...Lukrut-san, could you not make baseless speculations?"

"...Ah —sorry about that. It was just a joke. But ah —does that mean you have a sibling or family member to speak of, Momon-san?"

The bowing Lukrut did not look remorseful at all, but Ainz was not as angry as he was just now. It would seem Erika had secrets that she has hidden underneath that mask. But what?

Still, despite not being able to bring any from Carne, Ainz had no alternatives in the matter. After all, he had nobody to draw upon besides himself. He could bring someone from his new subordinates, but that will be resulting in meeting a certain person which would probably have a thirst of vengeance against the Slaine Theocracy and its people. In that case, Ainz did not bring anyone after that thought has been brought up before. He met Erika by chance and coincidence, she was a mysterious person that Ainz found her intriguing to know.

Given the present circumstances, perhaps other than her, Anglachel, might have been a better choice, but it was too late to regret that decision at this point. After all, crying over spilled milk is pointless.

He could imagine Erika's face was ashen white from her gaffe. Ainz patted her on the back several times to put her at ease. He should be practicing as a good boss to forgive the first mistake his subordinates made. The scolding would come when they repeated their mistakes. It would be bad is she fell into despair or withdrew from them, thus affecting their movements.

 _The important thing was that she only mentioned... Pan? That was the name of her older brother, Pan? Maybe, it is possible, or it might not be her older brother's name, but a nickname? Pan? This is confusing._

"Lukrut, don't talk nonsense and stay alert."

"Got it."

"Momon-san. I'm very sorry for my colleague's rudeness. We know that prying into other people's private lives is taboo."

"No, no. I'm willing to let it be water under the bridge as long as you can be more careful in the future."

The two of them looked at Lukrut's back in unison, and they had heard something along the lines of "Ah —Erika-chan hates me now. Uuu, her affection value must be a negative number," as Lukrut rounded his shoulders in defeat.

"That idiot...! I'll scold him after this. I pray you will pay no heed to what he had just said."

"Well, about that... Hm. I'll leave that task to you, then. Since Lukrut's on lookout duty, we can leave that to him, and I'll talk a bit about myself."

"It's fine, it's fine. We'll make him work hard for the trouble he's caused you."

After Peter smiled to him, Ainz advanced to Dyne and Ninya. —Switching places with Ainz —Fell back to walk alongside Erika.

"I have some things to ask you about magic."

After seeing Ninya nod her head, Ainz began with his questions. Nfirea seemed interested in their conversation and looked over.

"People who have been charmed or dominated by magic might reveal the information they carry. Is there a magical countermeasure that causes people to die after being questioned several times?" _This is just a question that has just popped up in my head._

"I've never heard of a spell like that."

Ainz turned, and his helmet faced Nfirea.

"Me neither. There are ways to modify a spell so it activates at a certain time, but I don't think they're as elaborate as what you describe."

"...I see."

Ainz was slightly disappointed when he did not get the answer he was looking for.

If that was the case, he would have to worry about how to deal with if such a possibility would have happened. He would ask his subordinates in a later date.

Ainz knew that he could not take on this world with his knowledge of YGGDRASIL alone, so that could be counted as a lesson that needed to be learned. At the very least, he had learned how to proceed at such a possibility.

As Ainz thought distractedly about that, Ninya continued speaking:

"That said, I only know a little bit of magic. Perhaps countries which trained magic casters on a national level could create spells like that. The Slaine Theocracy has academies for clerics — divine magic casters — while the Empire has institutes which produce their arcaners, sorcerers, wizards, and other arcane magic casters. Then there's places like the Agrand Republic, which uses something like spells born of the wisdoms of the dragons."

"I see. In other words, spells like that could be created with the assistance of an entire country."

According to the information obtained earlier, the Agrand Republic was a nation of demihumans, ruled by a council. It was in opposition to the Slaine Theocracy, which championed the concept of human supremacy. The most interesting thing about them were five of their councillors, who were dragons said to possess awesome power.

Ainz was interested in that country, but he had not found his feet in this world yet, and did not have the excess energy to spread his tentacles to that nation at the moment. Just keeping his current progress running required a considerable amount of manpower, which he has a limited amount.

"Then, may I ask about something else?"

Ainz continued questioning Ninya as he walked, until he was satisfied.

He asked Ninya and Peter so many things that the other Swords of Darkness looked at him with eyes that said, "Are they still talking?" The topics he touched were quite diverse, including magic, martial arts, adventurers, the politics of the region, among other things.

Although he had ask his questions carefully, the answers were still very helpful. Ainz was certain that this had greatly increased his knowledge about this world.

Yet, he did not feel that was enough. Learning about one thing made him curious about other things, especially when it came to the topic of magic. It was quite surprising what a world would become of it was based on magic.

The greatest influence of that could be seen in the technological level of this world. It looked like it was in the Middle Ages, but in truth it was closer to the Modern Age. The reason for these advances in technology was magic.

After knowing this, Ainz gave up on trying to understand the technology of this world. As a person born in a world advanced through the power of science, there was no way for him to draw parallels between what he knew and a world that has developed with the aid of magic. For instance, there were spells that produced salt, sugar, and spices, as well as spells which restored nutrients to the soil, removing the need for a fallow period in agriculture.

Then, there was the fact that the sea was apparently not salty. All these facts about the world were vastly removed from what Ainz had expected from his knowledge.

Ainz lost track of time in the process of carefully satisfying his curiosity.

"Movement," Lukrut suddenly said, in a voice which held a hint of tension. It was completely different from the flighty attitude he had taken while flirting with Erika. In his place was a professional, seasoned adventurer.

Everyone turned to the direction where Lukrut was looking, and readied their weapons.

"Where?"

"There. Over there," Lukrut said in response to Peter's question. He pointed at a corner of the forest, but nobody could see anything through the clutter of the forest. Even so, none of them doubted him.

"What should we do?"

"We shouldn't force our way in. If they don't leave the forest, we'll leave them alone."

"Then, the smartest thing to do is follow the plan and have Nfirea-shi fall back!"

As they discussed their next move, there were movements in the forest, and then monsters slowly revealed themselves.

There fifteen creatures that were the size of children, surrounding six huge creatures.

The first group were that demihumans called Goblins.

Their twisted faces had flattened noses, while two fangs thrust forth from their ravening maws. Their skin was a bright brown, while thier filthy, matted black hair looked like it had been styled by wax.

They wore tattered clothes, which were a burnt sienna, though it was unknown whether it was dyed that color or stained that way by dirt. On top of that, they had fashioned tanned animal hides into a crude form of armor. Each held a wooden club in one hand and a small shield in the other.

They were evil-looking monsters, born of the mating of human and apes.

The less numerous creatures were huge, roughly 250 to 300 centimeters in height.

Their lower jaws jutted out, and they looked retarded.

Their heavily muscled arms looked like tree trunks. Their hands nearly dragged on the ground due to their hunchbacked stance. They used logs as clubs, and wore animal skins around their waists. They reeked so much that the adventurers could smell then over the long distance separating them.

Their tanned brown skin was covered in warts, while their muscular chests and bellies looked quite striking. At a glance, they looked to be very strong, and they resembled shaven, distorted chimpanzees.

They were demihumans known as Ogres.

Almost all of them seemed to carry tattered bags, as though for a long journey.

The monsters watched the adventurers warily ad they advanced onto the grassy plain. They might have been some distance away, but there was an unmistakable hostility on their ugly faces.

"...There's quite a number of them. Looks like we can't avoid a fight."

"Mm, that's right. Goblins and Ogres are the kind who'll attack once they outnumber their opponents. Or rather I should say that intelligent beings would probably not judge their opponents' strength simply by their numbers.

Ainz could understand and accept this, but for some reason he has some sort of Deja Vu vibes just seeing the amount of demihumans that appeared.

He felt like he was fighting unknown monsters in an unexplored region, with the benefit if a walkthrough site. As he recalled the feeling of that battle in Carne, Ainz began muttering to himself.

"Then, Momon-san."

"...Oh, is something the matter?"

"Earlier, we agreed to divide them in half, but how shall we assign them now?"

"Can't we split into two teams and dispatch the enemy as they come to us?"

"It would be troublesome if they all went to one side. Erika-san, can you use 「Fireball」to eliminate all the Goblins in one go?"

"I do not have the spell「Fireball」. I'm an Earth-based magic caster, there are others, but the spell, 「Shard Buckshot」might be a perfect spell for the job."

Ainz thought about the restrictions when magic casters could choose different types of elemental magic classes back in YGGDRASIL. When one used a different element other than the primary one, the spell could end up as a weakened version of the spell that a normal magic caster of that class should normally used.

However, the「Fireball」spell was a third tier spell, and can be learned by any arcane magic casters. Regardless of their elemental differences.

"The 「Shard Buckshot」spell, is that an area-of-effect spell?"

"Close, but that spell is only effective at close-ranged combat. Especially when used in most desperate situations."

"Then, what if we got the enemies to form up into a line, and then take them all out in one shot from the side?"

"In that case, we'd need a defensive line that can take the enemy's charge..."

"Let me handle that. Can I trust you gentlemen while protecting Nfirea-san on the wagon?"

"Momon-san..."

"If a few Ogres could give me a hard time, then I'd be all talk. Everyone, please watch how I slaughter those Ogres."

As they heard Ainz's confident voice, understanding dawned on the faces of the Swords of Darkness. Their hearts filled with peace of mind which came from knowing that they could leave that task to him without having to worry.

"Understood. However, we can't just watch the enemy attack, so we'll support you from the side as much as possible."

"Do you need any support magic?"

"Ah, not for us. Friends from the Swords of Darkness, please focus on supporting your comrades."

"Please permit us to refuse. If we begin the engagement so close in the forest, there's a chance the enemy might slip past."

"If that's the case, shall we do the usual and lure them out first?"

"An excellent idea! Momon-shi will block the enemy's charge, but how will we deal with any fish which slip the net?"

"I'll hold down the Ogres with the martial art 「Fortress」. Dyne, you'll handle the Goblins. Ninya will cast a defensive spell on me, and while I may not be necessary, you should also watch for Erika-san's safety and use attack spells whenever possible. Lukrut, go take care of the Goblins, and if any Ogres make it past the defensive line, you'll have to block them too. If that happens, change your priority to wiping out the Goblins, Ninya."

Everyone looked at each other and nodded, showing that they understood Peter's instructions. Their combat strategy was smoothly decided, and their silent teamwork was flawless.

Ainz, who was thoroughly impressed by this display, made a noise of quiet approval.

He recalled YGGDRASIL once more. Back then, Ainz and his comrades hunted monsters with the same repeated movements; baiting, luring, blocking, and then attacking. They could fight well as a group because they were thoroughly familiar with each others' strengths.

Perhaps he was being biased, but Ainz earnestly believed that their coordination was not an easy thing to replicate. The Swords of Darkness could not possibly compare to them, though he could see something like his own teamwork in their movements.

"Momon-san, do you need any assistance other than magic?"

"No, there's no need. The two of us will be enough."

"That's... Pretty confident."

There was some unease in Peter's words. If the person responsible for holding the line fell easily, it might lead a domino-like reaction that would end in the team breaking apart. He should have felt uneasy about that.

After all, this was not a game, but a battle on which they were betting their lives.

"You'll see once it begins," Ainz said, terminating the conversation with a curt reply.

"Peter-san, we'll start once your preparations are finished."

* * *

Lukrut drew the string of his composite longbow to its limits, until its limbs began creaking. With a whoosh, the bowstring sliced through the air, launching an arrow in a straight line. It struck the ground about ten meters away from the Goblins on the plain.

The sudden attack made the Goblins sneer at Lukrut from behind their shields.

The object of their mockery was the missed arrow. Of course, the Goblins could not hit a target that was over 120 meters distant either, but they seemed to have forgotten that.

The vast disparity between the attack they had received and their numbers made the Goblins' violent instincts swell. They shouted in unison, and charged Lukrut with wild abandon. The somewhat slower Ogres followed from behind them as well.

Driven into a frenzy by their bloodlust, they did not form up into ranks, nor did they protect themselves with their shields. Their minds were a sea of white.

As he verified that fact, Lukrut smiled thinly.

"Loose!"

He sent another arrow downrange when the enemy was 90 meters distant. This time, the arrow did not fall short, but pierced a Goblin's cranium. The Goblin at the end of the formation took a few wobbly steps before collapsing to the ground, where he died.

The distance between them shrank, but there was no worry in Lukrut's hand, which was holding his bow. This was because he was confident that someone would protect him, even if they enemy reached him.

"「Reinforce Armor」."

Ninya cast a spell from behind Lukrut, hearing his colleague's voice, Lukrut nocked another arrow to his bowstring.

50 meters out, an arrow went through the head of another Goblin, who collapsed and did not get back up. Dyne decided to make his move as well.

Although Goblins were agile, the Ogres had large strides, and so their speeds were roughly the same. That said, over a charge of nearly 100 meters across a grassy plain, the Ogres with their stronger legs ended up in front while the Goblins lagged behind. The two groups drew away from each other and Dyne could not get too many of them in the area of his spell's effect.

Still, that was enough. After, Dyne's first objective was to pin down one Ogre.

"「Twine Plant」."

Dyne cast his spell, and vegetation moved under the feet of one of the Ogres, turning into vines that tangled around its feet. Immobilized by the abnormally resilient plant life, the Ogre roared in frustration.

At the same time, Ainz — followed by Erika — strolled leisurely forward.

They walked like they were taking a stroll, not standing fast against charging monsters.

As the Ogres running at the head of the mob approached him, Ainz reached his hands behind his back to grasp the hilts of his swords. Erika too reached under her cloak and forth her sheathed dagger.

Momon brandished his greatswords, tracing two great arcs in the air.

The dazzling light reflecting off the blades made the Swords of Darkness gasp in surprise.

The swords that Ainz wielded — each over 160 centimeters long — looked exceptionally ornate. They resembled works of actual weaponry forged from the flames of a great war.

A pair of single-edge blades. Their tips were sharp and pointy that it can pierce through any armor with ease, like a hot knife through butter. Their single-edges radiated a cold, sharp radiance, like death itself have embedded on those edges.

They were the weapons of a hero.

Ainz was holding a pair of hero's swords.

As they beheld his majestic figure, Swords of Darkness drew a breath in unison. If what they had seen before made them gasp, what they saw now was a scene that struck them dumb.

Swords got heavier the longer they were. Long swords like the ones Ainz was holding could not be wielded easily, even with weight-reducing magic. Granted, they already knew that Ainz possessed preternatural arm strength from their short time with him, but even so, they could not believe anyone could swing those greatswords with such ease.

However...

Ainz casually whipped them through the air like a pair of sticks. Truly, it was an awe-inspiring sight.

"Momon-san... What kind of man are you..." Peter breathed, as though speaking for everyone else.

As a warrior himself, he immediately knew just how strong one's arms would have to be to pull off a stunt like that. His shock was because he had no idea how long Momon had trained to reach that level of ability. Although he had always felt that Momon was on a different level from himself, being confronted with the truth made his legs tremble uncontrollably.

Even the unintelligent Goblins were terrified by the sight of Ainz, their legs slowing from their mad dash as they went around him to go for Peter and the others.

Only the Ogres, who were too stupid to be afraid and who were supremely confident in their brawn, continued heading toward Ainz.

As they closed in on him, the Ogres raised their clubs.

Ainz's greatswords might have been be long, but the Ogres, with their massive greatclubs, had a longer reach than him. But just as the Ogres were about to make their move, Ainz stepped forward.

His movements were as swift as the wind. And then, faster than that, he swung the greatsword in his right hand. The flashing blade left a silvery afterimage in its wake as it cleaved through the air.

The stroke was an astounding one — it raised goosebumps on the onlookers' skin. Even though the blade was not aimed at them, they could not help but feel that death stood by their side.

It was over in a single blow.

Ainz turned his gaze from the Ogres in front of him, seeking another target. As though waiting for Ainz to look away, the upper body of the Ogre slid off and fell wetly on the ground, leaving its motionless lower body body still standing. Yet, the spray of blood and organs and the vile stench that hung in the air proved that this was not an illusion.

The Ogre had been cut diagonally in half.

The battle was still on, but both sides were motionless. They were staring at this awesome sight.

It was slain in a single blow. Not even an Ogre's mighty physique could save it from the fate of being cut in two.

"...Amazing."

Someone muttered those words, which carried clearly across the silent battlefield.

"...Absolutely incredible. This is beyond mithril or orichalcum... No, could he be adamantite?"

Cleaving a foe into two parts.

That was not an impossible feat of arms. A rare few exponents of swordsmanship — or those bearing powerful magic weapons — might be able to do it. However, it was common sense that one could not use one's full strength when wielding a two-handed greatsword with one hand. After all, two-handed weapons were, as the name implied, intended to be wielded with both hands, using the weight of the weapon and the leverage of its length to do damage. They were not intended to be wielded by arm-strength alone.

In the face of this jaw-dropping sight, the Ogres unconsciously stopped moving, and began backing off with looks of fear on their faces. Ainz strode forth, shrinking the distance between himself and the Ogres.

"What's wrong? Not coming?"

His casual, relaxed words resounded through the battlefield.

These simple words filled the ogres with fear. After all, they had seen with their own eyes the vast disparity between their own power and Ainz's.

On his part, Ainz closed the gap to the Ogres with startling speed. His movements were swift, with a speed that someone should not even have possessed.

"Uooooh—!"

With a cry that sounded like a cross between a wail of despair and a shout, the Ogre before him raised his great club to smite the oncoming Ainz. However, everyone here knew in their guts that the Ogre was far, far, too slow.

As Ainz closed in, he swung the greatsword in his left hand horizontally.

The Ogre's upper body spun through the air, landing some distance away from the rest of its body.

This time, it had been transversely bisected.

"Momon-shi... Are you a monster...?"

As yet another breathtaking scene unfolded before their eyes, none of them could bring themselves to refute Dyne's words.

"...Then, as for the rest of you..."

Ainz stepped forward. The ugly faces of the ogres froze, and they retreated even faster.

The Goblins circled around the Ogres and Ainz's defensive line to attack Peter and the others. Swords of Darkness, stunned by the sights they had just seen, managed to react to the assault and began moving.

Peter raised his broadsword and large shield, prepared to take on the ten or so Goblins headed toward Hm. He slashed forward, sending a Goblin's head flying into the air, and then Peter evaded the arterial spray before entering melee with the other Goblins.

"Take this!"

The yellow toothed Goblins responded with a garbled cry that was hard on the ears.

Peter adroitly blocked the Goblin's club with his shield, while his magically reinforced armor took the rest of the hits with a low-pitched sound.

"「Magic Arrow」."

Two magical missiles struck the Goblin trying to attack Peter from behind. It collapsed like its strings had been cut.

Half of the Goblins surrounding Peter rushed the other three adventurers, but none of the Goblins dared attack Erika, who stood beside the storm of death called Ainz.

Lukrut put down his composite longbow and drew a short sword from his waist. Together with Dyne, who wielded a mace, the two of them ran to Ninya and their backs on her.

Lukrut and Dyne were matched against the five Goblins, and the odds seemed roughly even. Although the Goblins were being eliminated one by one, it was still very time consuming, under the present circumstances. Lukrut's face was a mask of pain as he endured the pain from his arm — it had been struck by a Goblin's club — as he thrust his shortsword into the gaps of his opponent's leather armor. Dyne had taken several hits as well, and as a result his movements slowed down, but he was not in mortal danger.

Ninya surveyed the battle anxiously, with an eye toward conversing her spells. Although some of the ogres were immobilized by magic, she might have to deal with them if the situation changed.

As for Peter, he was engaged in a fierce battle with six Goblins, and the struggle went back and forth several times.

The reason why they had not been overwhelmed by eleven Goblins was because the Goblins' charge had been blunted. After seeing Ainz's preternatural ability to kill Ogres in one blow, the Goblins' morale plummeted, and they could not make up their mind whether to flee or fight.

Then, Ainz swung his sword in a grand, sweeping arc, as though announcing his intent to utterly demoralize the Goblins.

As the sound of the displaced air swept into everyone's ears, they could hear the sound of a heavy weight hitting the ground. It was soon followed by two more such sounds.

Just as everyone had expected, the number of Ogre corpses steadily increased. There were two more Ogres struggling to hold on to life. One of them was pinned down by the grass, while the other was quaking in fear before Ainz.

Ainz's helmet turned to face the last Ogre who was still opposing him. The Ogre seemed to sense Ainz's expression through the slits of his closed helm, because it made a strange cry before turning to flee, discarding its greatclub as it ran for the forest. It was moving faster than when it charged, but there was no escape for it.

"Erika, do it."

As the merciless order rang through the air, Erika — who had been standing by behind Ainz — nodded slightly.

"「Shard Buckshot」."

The translucent, blue crystal shards zoomed through the air in frightening speeds, and the sharp points of shards cleanly pierced the fleeing Ogre's body. It even pierced through the Ogre behind it, the one which had been entangled by Dyne's spell.

That single spell finished off two Ogres. In a very brutal way.

"Run!"

"Run away! Run away!"

The Goblins, who had watched this scene in stunned silence, began fleeing as they screamed in terror. However, Peter was too fast for them, and the demoralized Goblins were no threat to him.

The adventurers felled the Goblins two and three at a time. In addition, Ninya — no longer bound to conserve mana — began throwing attack spells into the fray. In the blink of an eye, the Goblins had been crushed with no survivors.

* * *

Amidst the vile corpse-stench that hung in the air, Dyne healed Lukrut's and Peter's wounds with the spell 「Light Healing」. With nothing else to do, Ninya began cutting off the Goblins' ears with a dagger.

They would be paid for turning in the ears to the guild. Of course, adventurers did not claim their bounty with monsters' ears alone. Rather, they submitted different body parts as appropriate for different types of monsters. However, Goblins and Ogres were demihumans, so for the most part, ears were used in their case.

Ninya cut the ears off with practiced ease, and then she noticed that Ainz was looking around the place where most of the Ogres had died. He seemed to be searching for something.

"What's wrong?"

After hearing Ninya's question, Ainz lifted his head and replied:

"Ah, I was just thinking... Do these monsters drop items, in particular, crystals or the like?"

"...Crystals? I've never heard of Ogres carrying anything like crystals. Unless you're talking about Erika-san's crystal shards she used earlier."

"I see. And no, I wasn't looking for her crystals, I was just wondering if they carried treasure."

"Indeed. I'd be jumping for joy if Ogres had treasure too," Ninya replied as she removed the Ogre's ears with practiced movements.

"Still... You're amazing, Momon-san. I knew you were a warrior who was proud of his abilities, but I didn't you'd be that amazing."

As they heard Ninya's words, the other three adventurers, who had finished with their healing magic, told Ainz:

"That was great! I'm in awe of you, as a fellow warrior. How did you train up your arms like that?"

"I thought you were quite wealthy from the way you were accompanied by Erika-chan, but what kind of swords are those? I've never seen such valuable-looking swords before."

"I know now that what you said at the guild was not a bluff. Truly, you're on par with the Kingdom's mightiest warrior. Or at least even greater."

Erika seemed to held her nose high as she watched from the side. However, Ainz was frantically waving his hands about:

"Oh, there's no need to say that, it was nothing much."

"Nothing much..."

Peter and friends smiled bitterly.

"...After that battle, I finally understand what they mean by 'always someone better.'"

"I'm sure you'll all be able to surpass me with ease."

Ainz's reply made the smiles of the Swords of Darkness' faces even more bitter.

Peter and the others had worked hard to make themselves stronger, and they had carefully saved all their earnings, using them to strengthen themselves. They could get along because they all shared the same goal. However, even when they looked back on all the effort they had put in since becoming adventurers, none of them could imagine themselves on Ainz's level. To the Swords of Darkness, Ainz stood upon a pinnacle that almost nobody could reach.

This person travelling with them would someday become a hero, whose name would be known to all. He would become a great person that would stand atop all adventurers.

Everyone was certain of that.

* * *

Although it was some time from dusk, the adventurers were already setting up camp.

Ainz took the wooden poles handed to him by others and erected them around the campsite. Because they had to shelter a horse and wagon, the campsite in question was around twenty meters on each side and covered a fairly large area.

The poles went into four points around the campsite, and then thin, blackened ropes were tied around the poles, forming a perimeter. Finally, they tied a knot in one of the ropes and pulled it over to their tents, where they attached a big Bell to it. This was their alarm system.

As Ainz was driving the poles into the ground, Erika came around.

 _...Erika should have some work to do... Maybe she's finished. But if that man (Lukrut) made her mad again, all I can do is gently talk to her... Like an adult to a child, I guess...? Touch Me-san, where are you when I needed you the most._

With those thoughts in mind, Ainz turned around. As he did, Erika spoke, in a low, quiet voice that suggested that she was curious of something:

"...Are you having any trouble with that, Momon-san?"

Ainz sighed in relief as he learned the reason of her curiosity. He looked around, and the quietly replid:

"It's fine, everyone's working together to pitch camp. It would be odd if I don't know how camping works, no?"

"Y-Yes, that is true. But I have a question to ask, have they not seen your extraordinary fighting skill? From what I heard, people should do what they are suited for, so this sort should be left to people like them?"

"You don't say... Listen, there are times when great people work like they are of the weak, especially when it goes with the saying of a certain man "A measure of a man is how he does with power." In other simplistic terms than that, greatness comes on what he does do with power. Whether it may be great or small, everything can be measured on what the world views of his own work. Either way, that was my answer, I apologize if it greatly confuses you."

Erika shook her head to show that she did not feel confused by his words, and Ainz could feel her curiosity was satisfied behind that mask of hers.

He could tell that she was testing him, almost as if she was expecting him to say that. On the other hand, the thought that this might be actually the case.

The truth was that Ainz was having a lot of fun with these outdoor activities. After all, this was something he could not experience in the virtual world of YGGDRASIL, let alone real life, and thus it was filled with novelty. Although the whole thing had taken too much time, it also reminded Ainz of the adventures he had exploring unknown places in YGGDRASIL.

 _If there weren't any kind of trouble, without any possible encounter with hostile players, me and Pandora would probably have gone traveling without a second thought._

The undead did not need to eat, drink, or breathe. That being the case, they could climb high mountains with their own two legs, or walk into the ocean depths. He would have enjoyed himself by witnessing the unknown vistas of the world. With Pandora, of course.

However, now that the people he met and saved — the villagers of Carne Village — as well as his new subordinates sworn under his name, Ainz felt that he should repay them by being their leader and their savior.

Ainz cast his thoughts aside and calmly returned to his work. After hammering the four wooden poles into the ground, he tied the rope around themband then raised the tent over it.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Think nothing of it."

Lukrut was inside the tent, and he thanked Ainz without looking at him. It was kind of rude, but it was not as though he was slacking off either. He had been digging a hole for a stove since just now.

The magic caster — Ninya — was pacing about the surroundings, incanting a spell as she went. This was an 「Alarm」spell, and as the name suggested, it was a spell of warning that would trigger if anything trespassed on their camp. Though it had a small area of effect, it was still useful just in case.

This spell, which did not exist in YGGDRASIL, made Ainz narrow his eyes.

Although he had seen it once before, but it still intrigued him since he has his new subordinates, as a magic caster, he still felt the desire to know about the spells he had never seen before.

The magic Ninya used was a spell of the arcane type, like the kind that Ainz could cast. In addition, it looked very similar to a YGGDRASIL spell. Ainz had used a racial skill called Dark Wisdom to perform a rite which increased the number of spells he knew. Including the other wisdoms, Light, Druidic, Arcana, and Warrior's Martial Prowess and Wisdom. Though the latter provided skills exclusively to that of warriors.

 _Could I learn spells that weren't in YGGDRASIL, by making a special rite? Or is there another way? There's so many things I know nothing about..._

As Ninya realised that Ainz was staring at herself, she smiled and drew closer to Ainz.

"Ah, there's no need to watch me so intently. It must be pretty boring, right?"

"Well, I'm curious about magic, and I'm interested in what you're doing, Ninya-san."

"No way... But I'm far below to Erika-san, aren't I?"

"Well, probably... But then again, you might know more spells that Erika doesn't."

Erika seemed to nodded slightly, but Ainz noticed from the corner of eye that the feeling on her nod that she knew more offensive and defensive spells rather than the miscellaneous type.

"I'd like to cast spells like you, Ninya-san."

"You're greedy, Momon-san. To think you'd want spellcasting ability even though your swordsmanship is so amazing... No, I should say that you're being an adventurer, right?"

"Magic doesn't seem like the sort of thing that you can learn in one or two days. Well, you need to connect the world, but only people with the appropriate talent can do it. If not, you'll need a long time to experience it."

Those words came from Lukrut, who had cut in without turning to look from where he was setting up the campfire. Ninya's face turned serious:

"Mm. Momon-san, I think you have that talent. You're different from other people... Kind of like you're not human at all."

Ainz's nonexistent heart seemed to lurch in his chest. Ainz wondered if Ninya sensed that he was an undead.

Although he had already veiled himself in illusions and counter-detection spells, Ninya might have seen through Ainz with an unknown spell or some sort of special ability. Therefore, Ainz asked Ninya:

"...Is that so? I feel that I am strong, but not inhumanly so. You've seen my face as well, so wouldn't you think that as well?"

"I'm not talking about appearances... It's just that after seeing you fight, you're clearly beyond the realm of humanity. Taking out an Ogre with one blow... As I thought, a real man gets by on strength, not looks. And you've got someone so young like Erika-san with you."

Upon closer consideration, Lukrut seemed to be saying that the illusionary face which Ainz showed them was an ugly one. However, when he thought about the looks of everyone he had met so far, Ainz could only sit down and accept his opinion.

 _There's too many handsome men and beautiful women in this world! Even the passersby look attractive. After coming here, I've got a worse opinion of my own looks..._

"Appearances aside, Lukrut has a point. A hero is someone who surpasses the realm of human possibility. I get that feeling from you too."

"No, that too much... I wouldn't dare claim to be any sort of hero, even if I was to be polite."

As Ainz feigned embarrassment while answering Ninya, he resisted the urge to sigh in relief.

"If it's convenient for you... Would you like to meet my master? Master's talent lies in detecting an individual's magical power. If you were born with magical potential, Master should be able to sense it. When it comes to arcane magic casters, Master can even differentiate between by the tiers of magic which they can cast."

"I've been meaning to ask for a while… Is that talent the same as the one possessed by the Empire's head magician?"

"Yes, it's the same talent."

Ainz could not let information like this slip through his hands. He had to continue asking about it.

"...What is this ability like?"

"Ahh, according to Master, we magic casters radiate something like an aura from our bodies. The more adept one becomes in magic, the stronger this aura becomes. Master has the ability to see these auras."

"Oh… oh."

Ainz immediately suppressed the quiet surprise in his tone, and in order to cover it up, promptly responded in a more normal tone.

"This was how Master gathered up talented children and trained them in magic. I was recruited by Master in that way," Ninya continued.

Ainz nodded and mused silently in his heart. _So_ _t_ _here's_ _actually_ _people with abilities like that. This could be troublesome..._ _Or perhaps, an opportunity to find out how capable those people are._

"Then, if I wanted to learn how to cast spells, where should I begin?"

"For starters, you'd need a proper teacher."

"...And how about becoming your disciple, Ninya-san?"

"Hm… you should probably find someone more skilled than myself. However, schools in the Kingdom are very exclusive and people without connections can't join the guilds that handle magic. Even if you could join, most of the recruits would be immature kids. It would be very difficult for someone of your age to get in without some kind of special networking, Momon-san. On that note, the Empire has a full-fledged magical academy, and the Theocracy has a very high standard of magical education as well, though that's for divine magic."

"I see, so if I entered the Empire's magical academy, I could learn magic?"

"That would be pretty difficult. The academy is an educational institution run by the government, so I think you'd have to be a citizen of the Empire to study there."

"Is that so…"

"And as for becoming my disciple, though I apologise for it, I must refuse. I have something I want to do, and I don't have the free time to train people."

Ninya's face went grim. There were hints of hostility amidst the negative emotion there.

 _Maybe I shouldn't pry too deeply. There's no merit to doing so._

Just as Ainz came to that conclusion, Lukrut interrupted his train of thought with casual words:

"Oi~ sorry to interrupt your conversation, but dinner's ready. Do you mind calling those three back here?"

"Let me go, Momon-san."

"Ehhhh~ Erika-chan, you're going off? Why not stay with me and make a dinner filled with love?"

"Shut up, you pervert! Don't you have any sense of decency?!"

"Enough, Erika. Would you mind stop acting like that? It's making me more curious who were your parents, and how they raised you."

"Yes! I'm sorry! But I Understand!"

After thanking Ninya, Ainz approached the two people working quietly on the ground, a short distance from the tent.

Peter and Dyne were focused on caring for their weapons. They oiled them to prevent rust from building up, inspected them carefully to see if they were bent, and so on.

There were fresh dents on their armor, and cracks on their swords from where they had clashed with the Goblins' weapons. Naturally, these defects had to be remedied as soon as possible, and the two of them were so focused that Ainz did not know whether he should call out to them.

After telling them that dinner was ready, he informed Nfirea about the matter at the place where the wagon was tied up, a short distance away.

* * *

The sun touched the horizon, and the group had their dinner against the ruby radiance of its dying light.

In their hands, they held bowls of thick stew flavoured with bacon bits, as well as toasted bread, dried figs, walnuts, and other nuts. This was today's dinner.

Ainz looked at the bowl of stew in his hands. It appeared to be very salty. He could not feel the heat of the bowl through his metal gauntlets, but judging from the way everyone else was digging into it with big mouthfuls and not blowing on it to cool it down, it should have been just the right temperature.

 _Now then, what shall I do?_

Ainz was undead, and he could not eat with this body of his. In addition, he had disguised his appearance with an illusion. If he tried to drink soup with his skeletal mouth and body, it would probably spill out right away.

He could not let the others see that, no matter what.

This was unknown food and drink from an unknown world. Though the dishes before him were plain fare, Ainz felt that it was a shame to not be able to enjoy them.

Though he no longer had a need or desire to eat, he was unhappy with the fact that he could not consume the delicious-looking food that piqued his curiosity.

For the first time since he had come to this world, he regretted this undead body of his.

"Ah~ is there something you're scared of eating?" Lukrut asked as he noted that Ainz had not touched his food.

"No, it's just a personal matter."

"Is that so? Then you don't need to force yourself, right? Although, we're eating now, so could you take off your helmet?"

"...It's a religious reason. I can't eat with more than four people on a day when I take life."

"Oh… that's an unusual faith you follow, Momon-shi. Still, the world is large, and religions like that aren't particularly strange."

The doubt in their eyes faded away once they learned that it had something to do with religion.

 _It seems religions in this world are a complicated matter._

As Ainz thought that, he gave silent thanks to the gods he did not believe in for somehow letting him muddle through this. Then, he asked Peter:

"I recall your team name is Swords of Darkness, but I don't see a black blade among you…?"

On the topic of the group's weapons, Peter used a longsword with an ordinary enchantment, Lukrut favored the bow and arrow, Dyne used a mace, and Ninya used a staff. Peter's sword and Lukrut's backup shortsword were both blades, but neither of them had a color that was anywhere close to "dark."

There was a technique to tint metal a different color by depositing a special powder on its surface, so creating a black sword was not a difficult task. Rather, it seemed odd that none of them bore a blade of that color.

"Ah, so it's that kind of question."

Lukrut smiled bitterly, as though someone had brought up an embarrassing memory. Ninya's face flushed bright red, a distinctly different color from the fire's glow.

"They're the swords of Ninya's dreams."

"Come on, that's enough, I was just being childish."

"That's nothing to feel bad about! It's important to have a great dream!"

"Give me a break Dyne, I'm serious."

Good-natured laughter accompanied Ninya's teasing by the other Swords of Darkness. Ninya, on the other hand, was so embarrassed that she was looking for a hole to crawl into. It would seem the name Swords of Darkness contained a secret that only its members knew.

"Well, the name 'Swords of Darkness' refers to the swords borne by one of the Thirteen Heroes."

The smiling Peter stopped there, seemingly unwilling to go any further.

 _Even if he says that, I'm not sure what's going on…_ _S_ _till, I know that the Thirteen Heroes were the superheroes who destroyed the Demon Gods, who were rampaging across the world two hundred years ago. If I'm ignorant about these heroes and their gear…_ _W_ _ould it be embarrassing? Or should I just say that I know?_

Just as Ainz was agonizing over this issue, Erika cut in from aside.

"What are they? I've heard about them from my mother's stories, but I wanted to hear your version of the Thirteen Heroes."

 _Wonderful_. Ainz struck a victory pose in his heart, but surprise crossed the faces of the members of Swords of Darkness.

Just about anyone would be shocked that someone knew nothing about the magic weapons for which the team was named.

"Erika-chan, you did know, didn't you?… Well, it's not as though it's unforgivable. He was one of the Thirteen Heroes, but because people thought he had demonic ancestry, he ended up being more of an anti-hero instead. Therefore, his origins were covered up in the saga of the Thirteen Heroes… though I've heard that he was a very powerful person."

"The Swords of Darkness belonged to the man known as 'Black Knight.' It was one of the four swords he possessed. There was the demonic blade Kilineyram, which could emit dark energy, the blade of rot, Crocdabal, which inflicted wounds that would not heal, the fatal blade Sfeiz, which could kill with the merest scratch, as well as the evil blade Hyumilis, whose powers are unknown."

"Oh—"

Everyone smiled bitterly at Erika's unenthusiastic reply. As though she seemed to have heard that version plentiful of times. It would seem that her mother's version must be more detailed than they previously thought.

However, Ainz tilted his head in pensive musing. Those abilities seemed familiar.

After careful thought, the image of a vampire appeared in his mind. Those special abilities were similar to the skills possessed by Shalltear Bloodfallen — an NPC from the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick which he formerly ruled over — who had levels in the Cursed Knight class.

Cursed Knights had the backstory of being corrupted cleric-knights who had been cursed, and they were considered to be a very strong class in YGGDRASIL. However, they had a lot of drawbacks, so they were not very popular. Among the skills Cursed Knights could learn was the ability to release waves of darkness, inflict cursed wounds which could not be healed by low level healing spells, instant death curses, and so on.

Ainz narrowed his illusory eyes under his helmet. This was not a coincidence. While the Swords of Darkness might be weapons with powers similar to those of a Cursed Knight, it was more likely that the hero himself was a Cursed Knight.

If that were the case, when one considered the prerequisites to become a Cursed Knight, it was certain that this "Black Knight" was at least level sixty — no, if one considered that he had to actually learn all those skills as well, he would have to be at least level seventy.

It would seem the Demon Gods were evenly matched against heroes like that, so it was a reasonable hypothesis that their levels were roughly the same. However, Nigun of the Sunlight Scripture said that the Dominion Authority which he summoned could defeat a Demon God, so it would seem that the Demon Gods and the Heroes were not on the same level.

After comparing this new information with what he already knew, it seemed logical that the Demon Gods were not all equally powerful. However, the only way to know for sure would be to meet that hero or obtain that sword.

As Ainz pondered this, the rest of the group continued talking. Ainz hurriedly shifted his attention to their conversation; it would be a shame to miss out on a chance to learn something because he was distracted.

"—So finding those swords was my first objective. There's a lot of legends about weapons out there, but some of them have been proven to exist. The thing is that the existence of the Swords of Darkness is still a mystery—"

"Ah, there's someone out there who possesses one of the Swords of Darkness."

After Nfirea calmly dropped that bombshell, the Swords of Darkness turned on him:

"Who, who's that!?"

"Uwah! Really? So that means there's only three left!"

"Oh, that means we won't be able to distribute them evenly to everyone now…"

Nfirea gingerly replied:

"Er, about that… the person who owns that sword is the leader of the adventuring party called 'Blue Rose.'"

"Geh, adamantite, you say? Adventurers like that? Then it can't be helped."

"That's true. Still, there's three of them left; let's work hard so we can be strong enough to take them into possession."

"Indeed. Since one of them is the real deal, that means that the other three exist as well. I hope these swords are hidden in a place that nobody's discovered until us."

"Ninya, you'd best write it down in your diary so you don't forget."

"I know, I'll write it down for sure. However, the stuff in there is personal, so shouldn't you memorize it instead?"

"It's better to have a hard copy!"

"Is that the problem, Dyne…"

"Still, we have 'that.'"

"What is 'that?'"

"This, Momon-san."

Peter took a dagger with four jewels embedded into its scabbard. It had a black blade.

"Before we discover the real thing, I planned to use this as the party's symbol…"

"Still, 'Blade of Darkness' would work just as well as 'Swords of Darkness,'" right? Come to think of it, it's not as though it's a fake. It'll make the perfect symbol of our group!"

"Oooh, Lukrut's making sense for once!"

The adventurers laughed, radiating an air of camaraderie.

Ainz was affected by this as well, and smiled in response. They probably felt the same way about that dagger as Ainz did about the staff which represented the guild.

The dinner conversation continued, and Swords of Darkness, having the advantage of numbers, tossed questions out at Ainz, Erika, and Nfirea.

Ainz responded as best as he could, but he still felt a barrier separating him from Swords of Darkness. This was because Ainz lacked knowledge about this world, and he could not engage too fully lest his ignorance be revealed. Thus, Ainz kept quiet about things he did not know, which in turn led to him drawing even further away from the adventurers in a vicious cycle.

Though the adventurers tried to chat up Erika, all she did was respond with the best she could, and at the same time, berating Lukrut for his usual perverted antics. The Swords of Darkness got along with her quite easily.

Nfirea, on the other hand, was handling this quite well.

As a native of this world, he got along better with the others than Ainz. He was observant and could follow the adventurers' discussion well.

 _...It's nothing. I had friends like these once._

These childish thoughts, almost like a tantrum, ran through Ainz's head as he watched the others chatting happily in the campfire's light.

They seemed very close to each other, but that was only to be expected of a group of comrades who trod the edge of life and death in each other's company. Nfirea had a look of envy on his face as he looked upon them.

Ainz recalled his friends from the past, and under his helmet, he quietly ground his teeth in jealousy.

—Once, he had been like them.

"...Well, you seem like a chummy bunch. Are all adventurers like that?"

"I should think so. After all, adventurers are colleagues who face death together. It'd be dangerous if they didn't understand each other and what they planned to do. So somewhere along the way, adventurers end up being quite close to each other."

"Indeed. After all, we don't have any women in our team. I heard that parties with women tend to have a lot of arguments."

"...Yeah."

With an indecipherable smile, Ninya continued:

"And if there were, Lukrut would be the first to raise questions. After all, our group has a very clear objective, right?"

Peter and the others nodded in unison.

"...Just like that. It feels completely different when everyone is of one mind."

"Hmm? Momon-san, were you in an adventuring party before?"

Ainz did not know how to answer Nfirea's question, but right now, he had no need to make up some strange excuse to cover it up.

"We probably didn't count as… Adventurers."

He could not help but take a somber tone as he thought about his past friends. After all, he still had emotions — even though his body was undead — and his friends were the people that Ainz treasured most.

Sensing Ainz's difficulty in answering, nobody pursued the matter, and silence fell upon the group.

Amidst this quiet, so deep and so total that it felt like they were the only people in the world, Ainz unconsciously raised his head and looked into the star-studded night sky.

"When I was still a weakling, a paladin of pure white with sword and shield in hand saved me. Through him, I met four more comrades. And so, we formed a team that numbered six people, including myself. In addition, after that, we met three more weak people like ourselves, and we ended up as a team of nine people."

"Ohh—" someone exclaimed quietly, amidst the crackling of the campfire. However, Ainz was not bothered, and he continued recounting the story of the original nine members of what would become Ainz Ooal Gown.

"They were all excellent companions. A paladin, a swordmaster, a priest, an ass… a thief, a two-sword nin… a two-sword thief, a sorcerer, a chef, a blacksmith… they were all irreplaceable friends. We had countless adventures together, and even now, I still haven't been able to forget those days."

Through them, he had learned the meaning of friendship. He once thought he would have been ignored in YGGDRASIL, like in the real world, but unlike reality, they ended up being the best of friends, who would extend a helping hand to each other at any time. And so, as the number of group members steadily increased, they shared their joys and their sorrows together.

Therefore, the guild called Ainz Ooal Gown was a treasure to Ainz. He would ensure its brilliance was never diminished, even if he had to discard or destroy everything to do so. As well as continuing to inherit its wishes even though it was disbanded.

"I'm sure you'll find companions like them again someday."

In response to Ninya's comforting words, Ainz stopped and let out sobered tone:

"That day... I hope it will come."

The soberness in Ainz's tone startled everyone, even himself. Alarmed by what he had said, Ainz slowly rose to his feet.

"...Forgive me. Erika, I'll have my dinner over there. I need some time to be alone."

"...Then please take care, Momon-san."

"Really… Well, if it's a religious matter, then it can't be helped."

There was a hint of regret in Peter's voice, but he did not insist on their staying.

Although Ainz noticed the depressed look on Ninya's face, Ainz did not intend to say anything more to her.

Perhaps a simple "I'm not bothered by it" would have sufficed.

* * *

The Momon had his dinner in the corner of the roped-off campsite area.

The ones who stayed behind discussed the man which had left. It was only to be expected, given what the absent person had accomplished today.

Then, the conversation grew to a halt, and silence descended upon the group. The campfire crackled and spat glowing embers which danced into the sky. As Ninya watched the glowing traces vanish into the air, he muttered in a self-chastising tone:

"...I think I said something I shouldn't have."

"Umu. It seems like something happened in his past."

Dyne nodded deeply, and then Peter continued:

"I guess they were all wiped out. I've seen that sort of reaction from people who lost all their friends in battle."

"That... must be hard to bear. Even if we're used to walking the edge of death together, losing a friend is still…"

"That's right, Lukrut. The words spoken just now were not the best that could have been said."

"Well, what's said cannot be unsaid. Therefore, we need to do something that makes him change his mind about those words."

Ninya looked quite depressed as she replied, and then she quietly continued, "I know what it's like to lose someone, so why didn't I put myself into his shoes?"

"You are not wrong, Ninya-san."

Erika, surprisingly, responded Ninya.

"Why is it so, Erika-san?" Ninya asked, feeling shocked that Erika too had lost someone valuable in the past.

"I too had lost people whom I care and love about. And... I know this isn't my place to tell you guys about this. But, for the sake of fully understanding what he have just felt. He did not lost only eight of his mentioned comrades, but he has in fact, forty others — including those he mentioned — whom he had lost. All forty of them... All of them who had at least comparable strength as at of Momon-san... They were all gone."

"A-All forty of them?!"

Everyone in the group, including Nfirea, was completely shocked of that information. Who knew that Momon had those many comrades, and yet, he didn't even mentioned the other thirty two people.

But to think he lost all forty of them, who had similar strength to him must have been hard, even for someone great like Momon.

"How did you know about this, Erika-shi?"

"...My father told me about it. He's one of the very few people who knew about their existence and how much they accomplished over the years. He even told me stories how they've been doing during one of their many adventures. Their hardships, their sorrows, their joys... Seeing how you are all chums together must have brought up those memories."

By this, nobody responded to her story.

The campfire's logs cracked loudly and spat embers amidst the silence.

In an attempt to lighten the heaviness in the air, Nfirea gingerly spoke:

"...Momon-san's fighting was really spectacular."

As though waiting for these words, Peter immediately added:

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be so amazing. He cut an Ogre clean in two…"

"That was seriously over the top."

"Beating an Ogre in one blow is amazing in it's own right, but how good do you have to be to cleave it in half?"

The Swords of Darkness looked at each other after hearing Nfirea's puzzled question.

Nfirea was a young man who was famous for his innate talent, as well as an excellent magic caster. Although he might well shake the world with his abilities, it was difficult for him to understand the full extent of Ainz's prowess without another warrior for comparison.

With that in mind, Peter began explaining to Nfirea, in a way that was as easy to understand as possible:

"Normally, greatswords are used in a hacking fashion, but he employed a slashing method. Usually, when using a greatsword one-handed, it would be very difficult to sever the limbs of enemies as large as Ogres… But it would seem there's an exception to that now."

Nfirea gasped as he heard Peter's words. Peter felt that Nfirea was not sufficiently awed, and decided to name someone he might be more familiar with:

"Honestly speaking, I think Momon-san is on the same level as the Kingdom's Warrior-Captain."

Nfirea's eyes widened in astonishment. He finally understood what the Swords of Darkness thought of Ainz's abilities.

"...That is to say, he could be an adamantite ranked adventurer… Those people who are the highest ranked adventurers, living legends, in other words, the mightiest human beings?"

"Indeed," Peter replied as he nodded gently. Nfirea looked around at the other members of the Swords of Darkness, who were also nodding in approval. Erika as well did the same.

He was dumbfounded.

Adamantite ranked adventurers possessed guild plates made of adamantite, a rare magical material which was the hardest metal known to man. If adventurers and their numbers formed a pyramid, then adamantite ranked adventurers would occupy the peak, and would be correspondingly scarce. Both the Kingdom and the Empire only boasted two teams of adamantite ranked adventurers each.

Their abilities were at the zenith of human potential. One might even call them heroes.

And Momon was a person who could rival them.

"That's incredible…"

One could hear the utter amazement in those words.

"At first… The first time I saw Momon-san, dressed in a stylish black coat while wearing the copper plate belonging to the lowliest of adventurers, I felt pretty jealous, but now that I've seen that he has the skills to match his looks, there's nothing more I can say. He — Momon-san's abilities are worthy of his stylish coat. I'm kind of jealous of how strong he is..."

Peter the warrior did not wear full-plate. Instead, he sported a suit of banded armor, which was somewhat less protective. This was not by personal preference; rather, it was the best body armor he could afford with his limited resources.

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure you'll be able to buy a suit of full plate soon, Peter."

"Indeed. You should work hard towards that goal. Really, you should be glad that you're fortunate enough to be able to witness an example of what it's like to be at the top."

"Ninya's right, all you need to do is work hard to reach the target of Momon-san. We'll support you too, so let's move forward together."

"That's right! Slowly but surely, your hard work will pay off! I'm sure that Momon-shi must have trained even longer than you did!"

Dyne's words awoke doubts in Nfirea's heart:

"Have you seen what Momon-san looks like under his helmet?"

Ainz had not removed his helm after meeting Nfirea, not even while eating. How he drank was also a mystery.

"Yes, we have. He looks like an average person… Though not one from nearby. He and Erika-san have black hair and black eyes."

"I'm still here, you know." Erika called out from the side.

"Is that so… Did he say which country he was from?"

The Swords of Darkness looked at each other, and they suddenly realized that Nfirea seemed very interested in that topic.

"Well, he didn't elaborate much on that… Hey, Erika. Where did you guys come from anyway?"

"...We're from a distant land, we don't talk much about it."

"Really now… ah, no, I was just thinking that if you guys came from a distant country, you people probably use different potions than what was available in the surrounding region. It's just my curiosity as a herbalist talking."

"I see — well, he does seem to be from the same place as Erika-chan, yet their looks are worlds apart — he doesn't look handsome at all. Would anyone like people like that—?"

"He isn't, he chose to be plain and simple. That is, is what he said he would."

"Well, it's true that he doesn't look like much, but with his strength, I'm sure there must be countless girls throwing themselves at him."

Powerful individuals were popular. This was because this world had monsters in it, and humans were on the bottom end of the power curve. As a result, the innate instincts of women made them desire strong males.

"Haah~ don't tell me my feelings will never bear fruit~"

"Nah, it's impossible. I don't think there was even a flower to begin with," Ninya replied with a bitter smile as she recalled Erika's reaction. Noticing the person in question, she nodded her head in response.

"Utter nonsense. In any case, the important thing is to keep pushing and pushing and pushing. Eagerness is the key. 'Sides, she's a super cute girl, right Erika?" Erika scoffed in reply, "If she's just a little bit nicer to me, it'll mean I've won at life."

"...She does look very pretty…"

Halfway through his somber reply, Dyne noticed that Nfirea had a bitter look on his face.

"Nfirea-shi, is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. Er, it's nothing…"

"Oya?"

Lukrut grinned lewdly. "What, you're in love with Erika-chan?"

"Of course not!" Nfirea retorted with unnecessary loudness. From the intensity of his reaction, Peter sensed that they should not keep pressing him. Instead, he said:

"Lukrut, you're being rude. Think before you talk."

Nfirea looked uncomfortable, and he was not sure how to respond to Lukrut's sincere apology.

"No, it's not like that. Well… I'm just a little uneasy… would Momon-san really be that popular?"

"...Looks aside, he'd be a hit just going by his strength alone. Plus, he looks pretty wealthy, given the coat he wears and the swords he carries…"

"Ah…"

Nfirea's face was cast in shadow. With the tone of a senior speaking to a junior, Peter carefully asked:

"Is something the matter?"

Nfirea wanted to speak, but cut himself off halfway. The effect repeated itself over and over again, making him look like a goldfish. However, Peter and the others did not press him — there was no need to force an answer out of him if he did not want to talk about it. Soon, however, Nfirea made up his mind, and finally managed to speak.

"Um — it's because I don't want to let the person I like in Carne Village fall in love with Momon-san."

The Swords of Darkness deftly picked up on the hidden message within those words, and then smiled warmly.

"All right then, young man. Onii-san here will teach you his amazing technique—"

Erika suddenly punched Lukrut, drawing a queer howl from the latter. The Swords of Darkness paid no heed to the look of agony on Lukrut's face and made to comfort the stunned Nfirea.

Lit by the radiance of the campfire, the boy finally smiled.

* * *

At the same time—

The thrust went through the steel helmet, along with the forehead beneath it.

The body shook violently, and then collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The metal armor clanged loudly in the night. He prayed that someone would hear the sound, but nobody would come to E-Rantel's beggar's district, which had been practically been abandoned by the residents. That was why the client had arranged to meet them here, after all.

The man glared at the young woman before him. However, it was clear that he was just putting on a brave front. He had the lost the will to fight after seeing the woman casually kill three of his fellows.

The young woman who had murdered his colleagues flicked her bloodstained stilettos. The ichor scattered in all directions, and the blades recovered their cold shine.

"Nfufufu~ and then there was one, Onii-san~"

The woman revealed her canines with a predatory grin.

"Why, why are you doing this?"

He knew it was a stupid question, but the man had no idea why this was happening to him.

These men were the dropouts among the adventurers. The term for them was "Workers," or dusk workers. They took on jobs which were borderline, or sometimes outright illegal.

This might have been the result of some sort of grudge, but he had never worked in this city before. Neither had he seen this girl before.

"Ah, why I did this? Well now~ I just wanted you, Onii-san~"

The man did not understand what the girl was talking about. He blinked several times, and then asked:

"What, what do you mean?"

"That famous herbalist's grandson isn't at home~ I wanted someone to keep an eye on them for me and see when they got back. I can't be bothered with such troublesome things~"

"Then all you need to do was ask! Weren't you planning to do that in the first place!?"

Workers like themselves would gladly take illegal jobs, so he had no idea why this girl was slaughtering them.

"Nonono, you might have betrayed me~"

"We will never betray our employer once we've been paid the appointed fee!"

"Hmmm~? Then how about this? I like killing people, I love it, I'm absolutely crazy about it. Ah, and I like torture too," the young woman added with a giggle.

After hearing this nonsensical reply, the man's face hardened and he said, "You're insane! Why!?

"Why...?"

The young woman's voice changed. The joking, teasing tone from just now was gone.

"Hmmm... I wonder why? Perhaps it was because my job involved killing lost of people? Maybe it was because I was constantly compared to my amazing big brother? How they loved him instead of me? Or how I was raped constantly before I became strong? Because my friends died in front of me? Or maybe it's because I messed up and got captured and tortured for several days? Heated choke pears hurt, you know~"

It seemed as though there was only a little girl before him. But in the blink of an eye, a smile bloomed on the woman's face.

"Just kidding~ I was making it all up, it's a lie, a lie — never happened to me. Still, even if you knew, would it change anything? I'm this way because things piled up — ah, speaking of which, I need to thank Khazi-chan for helping me suss out all this info, I'm so glad I could meet you all right away~ you should know how long it takes to find help~"

The girl released her stilettos, which were pulled down by gravity and sank into the ground. Judging by their abnormal sharpness, they must hard been made of something other than simple steel.

"This is orichalcum~ More precisely, its orichalcum alloyed over mithril. Pretty good stuff."

The fact that she bore such exotic weaponry was a sign of the woman's prowess. In other words, he had no chance of victory.

"Then~ time for the next step. I can't use you if you're heavily wounded, Onii-san... Buuuut Khazi-chan can heal you with divine magic no matter how much I hurt you~ which means I get to enjoy torturing you as muuuuch as I like, no?"

As she uttered those bone-chilling words, she drew another pair of stilettos from under her robe.

"These should be good... Sorry if I miss~"

It was adorable, the way she stuck her tongue out at him. However, her filthy, blackened heart was visible for all to see.

The man turned his back to her and ran. Although he heard an exaggerated gasp of surprise from the young woman, he still ran with every ounce of strength in him. He was proud of his sense of direction, and he used it to the full as he ran through the lightless dark.

However, there was a clattering noise from behind him, followed by the woman's calm voice.

"—Too slow~"

Searing pain filled his shoulder. His first thought was that he had been stabbed by a stiletto, and then a shadow fell over his thoughts.

It was mind control.

The man desperately tried to resist, but that only mired his consciousness further in darkness.

The voice of "a friend" came from behind him.

"Ah~ Are you all right? Is the wound deep?"

"Mm, no, it's fine," the man smiled as he turned to face "his friend."

"Is that's so? That's wonderful~"

A dreadful smile bloomed on the young woman's face.

* * *

After reaping the fruits of her reward. Clementine felt actually good since coming to E-Rantel. She gets to torture people for fun, toying guys who were trying their hardest to defend themselves, and most of all, doing all of the above at the same time. It was refreshing, really, she has this thing for torturing people after all.

With a giggle, Clementine hummed her way back to the cemetery via the Beggar's District. Since this district was practically abandoned by the residents, it should be noteworthy that she could do anything at night time in this district. Especially when she gets to do her favorite pastime: Torture.

As the former Black Scripture member casually strolled in the middle of the night, without a care of the world to challenge her. A voice, both chilling and intimidating, called out to her:

"You seem to be having fun."

Clementine stopped humming, and at response to that voice who sounded a lot like a man, she turned around. Her facade of joking around just now was gone, replaced with a face of a hardened warrior and a murderer.

"...And who are you?"

She asked, when she saw the figure of the man that suddenly stood behind her back undetected.

What she saw was a tall man with a muscular build. He wears a long black coat with silver pouldrons, black boots and black trousers. The top of his coat is open to reveal his chest, with his leather suspenders crossed over it. He has long silver hair that rivalled the color of platinum has bangs parted to either side of his face.

On his hand was a sword — around thirty three centimeters longer than his own height — which looked like one of those pricy Katanas she heard so much in this past few years. Instead, they were longer than those swords described.

The man seemed to chuckle at her question, thinking that she should have heard about him now. Instead, with a chilling voice he replied:

"Funny, I was going to ask the same thing."

 _Is this man mocking me?_

Clementine thought as much. However, before she could retort, the man was suddenly in front of her in an instant.

"How about a tiny demonstration of how truly capable I am on handling someone the likes of you."

After he said those words, he flicked his finger at the center of Clementine's body. With an unprecedented force she did not expect him to exert through his finger. Her body flew like a puppet whose body was thrown like a ragdoll. Her body embed straight into a side of a wall in a nearby building.

Upon impact, Clementine could feel her insides crushed, all the bones inside her body practically turned to dust. As a result, she was forced to vomit a significant amount of blood from her mouth hinting how powerful that flick of a finger must have been.

 _What... What just happened...?_

That was all Clementine had thought of after the force hit her body. She felt that she got hit with a strength of a monster that can beat someone who stood in the Realm of Heroes.

 _That should have been impossible,_ she thought, indeed it was true.

Human beings who stood in the Realm of Heroes were considered as people who went beyond the pinnacle of power ever attained by human beings. Those who stood there were called "Heroes."

And yet, this man, no, monster, had just defeated someone of that level with one finger.

 _Who is he? Could he be the Catastrophe Dragon Lord? Is he one of the Demon Gods? A being who could match the Six Great Gods? Is he one of the Eight Greed Kings?_

With every question in her mind comes another question one after the other. Yet, none of her questions could be answered by her mind alone. In fact, she even thought that the Theocracy doesn't even know such a being exists!

Whatever that man did to her, she could feel her entire body go numb after that stunt. What kind of monstrous— no! Godlike strength to put her in this state. She couldn't even move at all!

Clementine cursed vehemently at the man in black coat who put her into this state. All she could do now was stare at the man who did this to her.

"My, my, what a predicament you're in now."

Clementine could clearly hear the mocking tone used by that man. She glared at the man, however, it was obvious at a glance she was putting up a brave front. But that was useless against someone like him.

"What... What do you want...?" she uttered those words out of her mouth. Just moving her own mouth is more painful than she thought would be.

"Hmm. It would seem you can still utter those words out loud, young lady. That move I pulled off is something born out of experience, it should have been enough to knock out someone of your level. That is you're level is in the high portion of the Low Tier Rank and in the mid portion of the Middle Class."

Clementine had seriously no idea what he's talking about. Low Tier, Middle Class. Is he referring that she, who have stood in the Realm of Heroes, a Low Tier Middle Class Warrior!? Is that what he's talking about!?

"If that's what you thought of it. I think it should surmised that you humans have become rather ignorant after those six idiots came in and saved humanity from extinction. How foolish are you that you think you actually stood in the Realm of Heroes? Humanity have indeed came to be ignorant after all this time."

"Wha—!?"

Is he for real? Is he referring the Six Great Gods, that she blasphemed and betrayed the Theocracy that worshipped those gods a good few weeks ago, idiots!?

"Hoh? It would seem you humans worshipped those idiots. What a shame, they were only ranked at First Tier, and yet, you humans worshipped those weaklings."

Clementine's eyes widened in shock as she heard him referring more of the Six Great Gods as idiots and ranked as First Tier. _Could it be... That he's actually reading my mind?_

As if to answer on what she had just thought right now, he said:

"Yes, and no. At the same time, in a way, but you humans could not comprehend. Not even going beyond High Tier would help you."

His words were cruel, but very true at the same time. She, as a human, could not comprehend at all on what he's talking about. All she knew that her level was Low Tier Middle Class based on his words.

"What is it... That you want...?"

The man in black coat seemed to stare at her for a moment, before a sinister smile bloomed on his face.

"I'm looking for a girl, who looked to be around thirteen or fourteen of age. She has the same blonde hair as that of her mother, Landfall. Her level is around Second Tier, and has inherited her father's 「Five Wisdoms」. Do you know anyone like that?"

Clementine struggled to shake her head. She heard about Landfall, the Vampire who supposed to have ruined an entire kingdom. But blonde hairs are a common sight in the Kingdom, the Empire, and the Theocracy. She too as well have blonde hair, but Second Tier and Five Wisdoms are a foreign concept for her.

The man in black coat seemed to frown at her, and said something to himself:

"I see. What a shame, I didn't go back in time and find out she isn't here in this time period. Well, a fortunate error I suppose. But still, I didn't kill Landfall in the future timeline for nothing. I need that girl to be my sacrifice. But then again, at my current weakened level — Ninth Tier — should be enough to handle anyone in this realm and possibly at Helheim. Ah, I've probably said too much. As a reward for listening to my ramblings, I will heal you to full health and you will gain an additional First Tier added to your current level. And most of all, you will forget everything what we've just discussed."

Clementine did not understand what he just said to himself, neither does the term future timeline, sacrifice, Ninth Tier, Helheim, and adding First Tier to her level doesn't make any sense at all.

"Well then, time to go to sleep. 「Unison Magic: Control Sleeping Amnesia」."

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **...Wow... I can't believe it... IT'S A F**KING CLIFFHANGER PEOPLE!**

 **(Cues Angry Mob Scene)**

 **Woah, woah, hold your torches and pitchforks down people! Sheesh, can't anyone appreciate how hard it is to think of that last part?**

 **(Cues Waiting Angry Mob Scene)**

 ***Sweatdrops* Yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry for the late update people, school is steamrolling around my schedule as of late, and I nearly don't have enough time for me make this chapter and many other things. But hey, at least I updated this, right?**

 **Well, anyways, be sure to press the fav. and follow button if you like my, and be sure to leave a PM and review for more ideas and suggestions to make my story more interesting.**

 **And note, Levels are below here:**

 **High Portion of the Low Tier and Mid Portion of the Middle Class = Level 35**

 **First Tier High Portion of the Low Tier and Mid Portion of the Middle Class = 135**

 **First Tier = (See Volume I Epilogue for reference)**

 **Ninth Tier = (See Volume I Epilogue for reference)**

 **That's all, gabrielchiong11 out!**


	12. Volume II Intermission

**Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord nor any of the of the elements used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

The Grand Plains. Situated between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire. Although the territory belonged to the Re-Estize Kingdom, there was no doubt that its purpose was a neutral buffer-zone agreed between the King of the Kingdom and the Emperor of the Empire ten years ago.

Regardless, despite the Great Plains being a territory of the Kingdom, it was practically abandoned due to the loss of so many manpower and also due to the annual wars declared by the Bloody Emperor, Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix at a certain harvest season where the Kingdom needed such men for the Kingdom to feed itself. In addition, the power struggle between the Royal and Noble Factions made the situation even worse. Especially corruption was at a high rate.

Furthermore, due to these reasons, the Kingdom couldn't afford to garrison such a location. As such, the King, King Rampossa III, reluctantly made the order to abandon the Great Plains. Although the Great Nobles, who were completely loyal to the Crown, had blamed the loss of the Great Plains to the Noble Faction. Who in turn made several accusations to them. Thus, worsening the situation as it is even more.

In contrast, there were two people at the very same place where the Great Plains was located at.

One of rhe two was Pandora Ooal Gown, formerly known as Pandora's Actor, currently held a strange rod-like staff in his arms. Holding and aiming it as if it were a crossbow.

The rod-like staff in question was a peculiar one. It had a combination of wood and iron, strangely shaped for some purpose unknown, and it was freshly crafted. Almost as if it was just made just now.

In other words, it was commonly called in YGGDRASIL as a rifle.

It was a weapon Pandora crafted using a set of iron and wood from the forest near Carne. He used Amanomahitotsu's - one of the former 41 Supreme Beings of the once Great Tomb of Nazarick - Blacksmith skills to mold and forge the necessary parts for the rifle he's using. So far, he had dubbed it as the "Type 01 Rifle," but another name should had been better. But then again, he should leave the name as it is, since it was only at an experimental phase

Instead of the traditional propellant, which is used by either by gunpowder or other combustible gas. This rifle only used and dependent on Pandora's MP, as well as its ammunition made by magic as well. In short, it was a spell gun but looked liked a rifle from a certain second great war used by a well-known country known for its dictatorship and mass murder of fellow humans.

(A:N AKA WW2 and it's Nazi Germany. And the rifle's appearance looked exactly like the German Karabiner 98 or 98k for short.)

He had come to an open space like the plains, Pandora had no idea the political tensions this place once held. This was a perfect to test out a rifle he had created just the day his father (Ainz) left to E-Rantel to spread his fame as Momon, in order to gain more information about this world.

Regardless, he was only test this rifle he created was on an open-wide space such this place would be more suitable than the forest and Carne combined.

 _Although, doing this experiment shouldn't be bad at Carne. But, what I rally needed to know is how far can my targeting skills can reach._

Pandora's level was 200.

He did not know if this was the level cap of this world, nor does he know it can increase..

However, due to that, he had decided to pick new job-classes to increase his and his father's survival in this world

Aside from that, there were still restrictions from his job-class that was incompatible due to his job-classes when he was at level 100. That, however, was greatly changed.

Since Ainz left, Pandora had carefully picked out his new levels in order learn more job-classes, one of them was the 「Gunner」 class. He had spent exactly ten levels on that class before moving on to the others. And as the name implies, he can use guns such as rifles to a certain degree.

The other classes he chose were a full-level「Ranger」— spent five levels — for better surrounding awareness as well as effective usage of ranged weapons to a certain degree. That also includes stealth, and scouting abilities.

Full-level 「Sniper」 job-class — having spent another five levels - increasing aiming, and accuracy of skills using single-shot ranged weapons. Can be used to lock on targets in great distances, also increases ability to use ranged weapons to interrupt spell casting and such.

Full-level 「Stalker」 job-class — spent fifteen levels — same as the name implies, can stalk someone using stealth abilities through a certain degree.

Full-level 「Thief」job class — spent another fifteen levels — known for its high rate in agility and the ability to steal items. As well as assassinations and other reconnaissance abilities.

Full-level 「Assassin」job-class — spent ten levels and required the previous two job-classes to unlock this class — raising the chances of instant kills, or critical hits, and raising effectiveness in stealth capabilities, and free usage of assassination weapons. As well as boosting Pandora's poor Doppelganger physical strength to a certain degree, that also includes his speed.

He also chose the 「Ninja」 job-class - he had spent five levels on this particular job-class. An upgraded job-class for 「Assassin」, though it required at least level 60 to achieve that class. However, Pandora was at level 200, so it doesn't pose a problem for him since his level is higher than the level prerequisite itself. It also boosted the Doppelganger strength and speed as well to new heights. Including mastery of skills related to this job-class.

All in all, Pandora had spent exactly sixty-five levels. Due to that, Pandora had gained quite a variety of new skills he had never had before.

 _In addition with my_ _「_ _Expert_ _」_ _job-class, all of my newly chosen job-classes efficiency were boosted up to expert levels. Highly increasing my job-classes' capabilities and the already expert user can use them on... an expert level..._

Mentally shook away at the pun, Pandora then aimed the Type 01 Rifle to west where Carne Village was located at.

The distance between Pandora's current location and Carne Village was exactly at ten kilometers. Back in YGGDRASIL, low-level Rangers targeting skills can reach an average distance of about. His father once told him that it was one of the minimum range a Ranger at that level can reach.

In contrast, those who are at level 100 can reach a range at one or two kilometers at most. Best examples were his former fellow NPC, Aura Bella Fiora, and one of the 41 Supreme Beings, Peroroncino.

What about those who are at level 200? And that's why Pandora was going to find out.

After making sure Pandora had activated all of his targeting skills. He began to feel his surroundings in greater detail.

 _Amazing! I've thought the range would be this long!_

Indeed, back in YGGDRASIL, Players who are at level 100 — which was the level cap back then — and have all the 「Ranger」 classes have a total range of about one or two kilometers as explained before.

The range was twenty kilometers.

Pandora was surprised at this. Originally, he had thought the range was at least twice the range the targeting skills would make. But never had he thought it would be ten or twenty times than the amount Players who have 「Ranger」 classes amounted to, back in YGGRASIL as explained by his father a few days back.

Which begs the question, does that mean those that are level 200 have skills ten-twenty times greater than level 100?

If that were the case, the more reason they have to be more wary about who are at level 200. If applying the same method to his theory, magic casters such as his father also have a range at ten kilometers or so.

What about Super Tier Magic? Would that magic, which goes off the very definition tiers, stay the same, or would its effects be also ten or twenty times greater than before?

Countless questions, theories, probabilities all rose inside of Pandora's mind as countless more added into the mix.

The more thought he put into it, the more time he had wasted on staying the plains and doing nothing but stand and aiming his rifle.

As Pandora had realized that, he then immediately pulled the trigger and fired the first shot. _Bang!_

Then the second followed. _Bang!_

Then the third. _Bang!_

The fourth. _Bang!_

And finally, the fifth. _Bang!_

Five shots, the interval for each shot was below hundredths of seconds. If any onlookers who are YGGDRASIL players that are at level 100 watched how fast each shot goes out of the rifle, they will described it as "Lightning".

Pandora had limited those shots at five, and immediately stopped as it reached the desired number.

Sooner after ten seconds, a voice spoke in Pandora's mind, it was a 「Message」spell.

"[Pandora-sama, we have results that we would like to share with you.]"

The was voice was male, in the background where praises of awe was heard on the back.

"Have I shot all five of the targets?" Pandora asked. Wanting to know if those shots have reached their targets accurately.

"[Yes, Pandora-sama. You've shot all of them with perfect accurate shots, sir. All of which have reached the part at the middle of the forehead...]"

This was the experiment Pandora was working on. He had left exactly five straw men that acted as targets for this experiment. It would seem it had gotten perfectly as planned.

"Is that so? ...I'm very well pleased with the results, Erick-san."

"[Ah, don't thank me, Pandora-sama. I'm just a humble servant serving under your father, Ainz-sama. As expected, you possessed the same magnanimous aura as your father.]"

Pandora wondered if the man — Erick Di Gelapo — had said was true.

Granted, he was only a mere creation made by his father — Ainz Ooal Gown — an NPC with no hopes of being compared to the Supreme One.

And yet, he praised him with the same reverence as he did with his father.

Smiled, if his face could actually smile, having felt the feeling of being praised like a supreme being was quite refreshing, but felt bad at the same time.

The title of Supreme Being can only be held by his father and forty others. They were worthy of having that title, while he, only a NPC, was unworthy.

He could make mistakes, however, he strives to remove those mistakes by not repeating it all over again. That was what his father said about "A wise man learns from his mistake, an even wiser man learns from others' mistakes."

In other words, he needed to never repeat that he, and the others would make, in order to become great like them one day. That was his dream.

The first step to that dream, is to treat his father like an equal.

If Nazarick were here, it would be called heresy for a measly NPC like him to treat one of the Supreme Beings as an equal. That was their mistake.

Loyalty does not come when you treat someone with respect. Being an equal was also another way of respecting others.

Pandora inwardly smiled at the thought, his father had a lot of respect given to him due to that. And it wasn't an act to fool his father, but an act that genuinely came from the heart.

Had he even treated his father as a god too much, it would be a matter of time before mistakes would arise in a drastic rate. That was the reason why he could not afford to treat him as such, and due to that, he learned so much from him.

 _Would I become like my father one day?_ Pandora thought as he stared at the beautiful, cloudless, blue sky. The light breeze flowing his coat in a grandiose manner.

 _Still, that was only wishful thinking on my part. But... Would it really be possible?_

Pandora shook his head at the thought. Nothing more to do, he immediately dismissed the 「Message」spell before calling out to the girl who had accompanied him along the way.

"Enri-san!" the girl immediately sat up, who had lied down on the grass exhausted just after arriving to this location. "We're moving out today."

Pandora looked at the girl — Enri — who looked as if she was extremely tired and that was obviously evident on her face.

"B-But, Pandora-sama!" Enri stuttered, "We've ran all the way here for over two and a half hours without rest. And we're moving now!?"

"Of course we are, unless you want to stay here and rest a bit..."

"...I, I think I'll be grateful for that, Pandora-sama..."

Enri's tone sounded rather reluctant. Before long, Pandora sensed Enri's aura that she was thinking that they were moving further and further away from the village, and she was getting tired.

The reason why Pandora had brought Enri along was simply because he wanted someone be a witness for this experiment. And she did a great job at doing.

It wasn't sarcasm, she's actually done a good job.

If Pandora could smiled, he couldn't smile due to his current features that would seem to be like that of a mask.

However, an idea popped up. And if he were to grin, it would be a mischievous one.

"Okay. I'll leave you here, and I'll go back Carne instantly using magic to teleport me there."

"EHHH!? Are you serious, Pandora-sama!? Are you going to leave me, here, ALONE!?"

"But, of course, why wouldn't I be? After all, you said you were tired. So, I gave you the privilege to rest while I return to Carne by myself. As for you, you'll stay and you can go back home on your own."

"B-But... ...That's... ...Not fair..."

Enri looked like she was about to cry, and Pandora knew she didn't have the right directions to know where Carne is. Especially when the plains so large, Carne from a distance looked like a small dot at a distance, and Enri didn't notice it.

Although there was still the forest she could use her main landmark to know her way back to Carne. Since traveling on foot at this distance should be a minimum of two and a half hours worth of travel. But then again, she was still human, and does not possess any large amount of stamina like any of the other races.

"That's why, in order for you to come along with me to go back Carne instantly. You'll have to catch me first." Pandora proposed, knowing Enri would answer what he expected.

"Eh!? Why!?"

Pandora knew that she knew that she couldn't catch him, even if she used everything she has to do so.

The reason was simple:

"Because I said so mein Fräulein~" Pandora sang as he slowly moved away from Enri.

"Wha—!? Please wait! Come back here!"

Sounds of laughte from Pandora, cries from Enri, and shouting from both all lasted for thirty minutes before Pandora had finally permitted Enri to return alongside him back to Carne using teleportation magic.

* * *

 **"..."**

 **"...?"**

 **...Hope you guys liked it...**

 **I hope it this intermission turns out fine, I always have anxiety when making my stories. Whether they be good or bad, I've always wanted any reader who read this to understand. It isn't easy to convert imaginations to words.**

 **Anyway, I hope it wasn't a random story. Although I apologize if any characters involved in this intermission seemed a bit OOC. Please put your thoughts on the review section, it always helps.**

 **That's all, gabrielchiong11 out!**

 **PS: I forgot the part that should've been in the last chapter I'll post it right here. ;)**

* * *

The group set out at daybreak, along a hidden path on the plains.

"We'll be at Carne Village soon."

The other travellers nodded in response to Nfirea, the only person who had been to Carne Village before (barring Ainz). Apart from that, they walked on in silence. Nfirea seemed somewhat put off by that.

An air of awkwardness hung between them. Ainz, who was the cause of this situation, hid his guilt underneath his helmet.

Ninya kept peeking at him, and it was annoying. However, this was all his fault, so he could not say anything about it.

This was the result of what he had said last night.

Ninya apologized at breakfast, and Ainz should have accepted the apology on the spot, but for some reason, he could not say a simple thing like "I forgive you."

Though he felt he was being petty, Ainz could not simply let bygones be bygones.

 _Because of this undead body, my mind has changed as well, huh..._

After becoming undead, his strong emotions were suppressed, but the less intense ones did not vanish. The best proof for this was how long his mild soberness lasted. Ainz's friends had a very important place in his heart. Though he cared deeply for them, he began to feel that it might not be good to let things go on like this.

However, he could not bring himself to take the first step in changing the mood.

It was because he could calmly deduce that the slight changes in his feelings — like those of a petulant child — that he felt anger at his own immaturity.

The only one who stood out among the awkwardness was Erika. She was silent as the rest of the group. She might have in common with him after all.

The group advanced in silence, and they soon made it to the outskirts of Carne Village.

"Ah, yes! It seems pretty wide here, so maybe we don't have to stay in a line as we move," Lukrut announced, seemingly with some other motive in mind.

A glance to the sides revealed stretches of emerald forest around them, so the deliberate mention of being wide and open seemed somewhat suspicious. In addition, the point of being guards was that they could not lower their guard in an open area, so moving in a column like they were doing now was the wisest choice.

It was just that they all knew their silent advance in a line was not due to their adventurer's sense of caution.

"...It's important to stay alert. So let's… Mm. Let's get to the village first."

"Indeed! We need to stay on guard at all times lest we get attacked!"

Lukrut put on an as if expression in response to Peter and Dyne's statements.

"Maybe a dragon might attack us from far away," Ninya mumbled.

Lukrut immediately shot back:

"What kind of shitty plot development would that be? Logically speaking, how could such a thing happen, Ninya!?"

"You're right, it's impossible. The stories of dragons near E-Rantel are nothing more than that, stories. Although they say that in the ancient past, there was a dragon which could shake the heavens and the earth… Nobody's seen any dragons recently. Or no, I think there's a colony of Frost Dragons living along the Azellisia mountain range, towards the north…"

 _They existed in the past? According to the Sunlight Scripture, dragons are the mightiest beings in this world…_

In YGGDRASIL, dragons were the strongest enemies one could encounter. They boasted great physical attack and defense power, boundless stamina and wielded numerous skills and spells.

They were in a class of their own.

There were countless monsters in YGGDRASIL. Among their number were all sorts of named monsters, and area monsters, as well as those super monsters called World Class Enemies. Even a legion, composed of six parties of six men each, would not have much of a chance against these unimaginably powerful creatures.

Apart from the "Devourer of the Nine Worlds," there were the "Eight Dragons," the "Demon Lords of the Seven Sins," the "Ten Archangels of the Sephira," as well as the six bosses known as the "Celestial Lord of the Sixth Heaven," and the "Five-Colored Buddhas," from the expansion pack "Valkyrie's Downfall." There were thirty two of these extraordinary monsters in total, and one could infer the dev team's love of dragons from the number of draconic entities among them.

 _I need to be careful if dragons exist. Dragons could live forever in YGGDRASIL's backstory, so it_ _wouldn't_ _be a surprise to encounter dragons with mind-boggling powers._

"Ah — could someone tell me the name of that dragon which could shatter the sky and shake the earth?"

Ainz was not nearly thick skinned enough to nonchalantly ask a question of someone feuding with him, so he merely spoke in a low voice. However, that was loud enough for everyone to hear, and Ninya jerked her head back to look.

This was like a pair of quarrelling lovers looking for a chance to make up.

Ainz recalled a time when he had heard a pair of sweethearts talking in a coffeeshop, and could not help but compare their words to his present situation.

That said, Ninya's expression seemed a little brighter since it was Ainz who made the first move. The Swords of Darkness and Nfirea were all smiles as well. Only Erika remained unmoved. Come to think of it, the awkwardness in the air since this morning had hardly affected her.

"I'm very sorry! I'll look it up for you when we get back to the city!"

 _Ah, no need to get so excited about it… It's fine if you don't know… I was just looking for something to say…_

However, he could not bring himself to utter those words.

"Mm, Ninya-san. Could you help me find out, if time permits?"

"Understood, Momon-san!"

The way everyone nodded with exaggerated satisfaction made Ainz feel a little ashamed of himself. It might have been different if the situation was the other way around, but he was filled with regret as the oldest one here.

"All right, we're almost at Carne Village now…"

This was the first cheerful thing which anyone had said since this morning, but Nfirea clammed up almost immediately.

Everyone looked at the village before their eyes. It was a rustic hamlet at the edge of the forest. There was nothing strange or unusual about it, so Nfirea's silence was a mystery.

"What's wrong, Nfirea-san? Is something the matter?"

"Ah, no, it's fine. Just… I don't recall seeing a stone wall like the one in front of us..."

"Yeah, it does. But it looks like an ordinary wall. To tell you frankly, it's kind of well-developed for a frontier village to make a wall, right? But it wouldn't be a surprise that a village at the edge of the forest would have some kind of sturdy fence to protect against monsters, right?"

"Hm — you might be right… But Carne has the Wise King of the Forest, so they've never put up a wall before…"

Everyone looked to the village. The village was surrounded by a wall as far as they could see, and the wall was made of pure earth which were resilient to almost anything. In fact, that wall looks about a meter thick.

"How strange… Did something happen...?"

Ainz remained silent, even after hearing the lad's uneasy question. In the past, back when he stayed at Carne Village, he had constructed the wall with the permission of the Village Chief for extra protection. He also constructed, with the help of Pandora, several invisible watchtowers that only those inside Carne would able to see and use... There should be also multiple auto-crossbows that were fully loaded in those watchtowers as well...

 _...Oh, shit..._

Ninya cut in, a serious expression on her face:

"Maybe I'm worrying too much… But I grew up in a village, and I still remember life there, so there's two things I find suspicious. The first is that the fields haven't been tilled yet even at this time, and the other is that they've already harvested some of the wheat."

They looked in the direction Ninya was pointing and indeed, part of the wheat had already been taken in.

"I see. Looks like… Perhaps something happened?"

Ainz turned to the group, all of whom had uneasy faces, and said:

"...Gentlemen, let us handle this. Erika, if you can go invisible, scout the village with flying magic."

After acknowledging Ainz's instructions, Erika turned herself invisible with magic and vanished. Shortly after, they heard the sound of flight magic being incanted, and Erika no longer left any tracks behind her. The travellers waited on the road, and after a while, Erika reappeared where she had left.

"...The villagers seem to be running around the village, and I did not sense that they were being controlled or ordered. Almost as if the villagers are preparing for something on the other side of that wall.

"...Huh... Is that so... Is it just me, or am I being paranoid? Or was it because of what she said?"

"It should be fine. She said that the villagers are preparing for something, so that should be fine, right...? Anyways, let's move on… Shall we?"

Peter looked expectantly to Ainz and Nfirea, and they both replied in the affirmative.

The road narrowed as they went on, so they had to form up into a column as they approached the village's entrance.

The wheat fields on either side of the road were a brilliant emerald, waving gently in the wind. The travellers looked as though they were submerged in a pool of green water.

"Hm?"

The wagon advanced with a clattering noise. Behind it, Lukrut made a noise of suspicion and studied the wheat fields closely. It was not yet time for the harvest, but the stalks were over seventy centimeters high, and they were as impenetrable as the ocean's depths.

"What's wrong?" Nfirea asked from his place at the back.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, maybe I was thinking too much…"

Lukrut tilted his head in bafflement, then quickened his pace, drawing closer to Peter.

Ninya looked in the same direction, and then opened up her steps once she made sure there were no other movements.

The wheat fields spilled over onto the road that led to the village, like the sea swallowing up the land. They wanted to cut down the stalks to ensure stable footing, but if they did that, problems would result in the future.

"I hope the villagers can tend their fields properly. This seems terribly wasteful."

Peter walked at the head of the group and because his armor touched the wheat stalks, it was soon covered in wheat grains. Peter muttered as he saw this, feeling that something was wrong.

This was a warning born from his instincts, which had been honed through countless brushes with death. Would the green grains fall off so easily?

Driven by instinct, he looked back into the wheat fields, and saw a pair of eyes staring at them. It was a small creature, its body even smaller as it hunkered down in the wheat. Although its face was obscured by the wheat stalks, it was clearly not human in nature.

"What!?"

The shocked Peter wanted to shout a warning to his colleagues, but the creature — a demihuman — spoke first, "Could you put down your weapons, please?"

The diminutive demihuman already had its blade drawn, and no matter how fast Peter moved, his opponent could still stab him first.

"Yo, please put down your weapons. Could you tell the people behind you to do so too? We don't want to have to shoot them with arrows."

There were faint sounds from another direction. When he looked to the source of those sounds, he found that there was a marvellously camouflaged hole in the wheatfields, with half a demihuman sticking out of it. The demihuman was covered in wheat stalks as further camouflage.

Peter was filled with doubt. It would seem there was room to negotiate with these creatures.

"...Could you spare our lives?"

"Sure we could. If you surrender, that is."

Peter was at a loss for what to do next.

He had to stay in front and make sure the arrows did not hit Nfirea on the wagon. He also needed to figure out the enemy's number and organization.

Verifying the opposition's objectives was also important. At the moment, he could not surrender, but neither could he entirely deny the enemy's proposition.

As though sensing Peter's confusion, the two demihumans rose from the plains with a rustle.

"—Goblins," Ninya breathed.

The demihumans who stood before them now were of the same species as the Goblins from yesterday. They had their bows raised, and their eyes were keen as they took aim.

Should they fight?

Ninya, Lukrut, and Dyne looked at each other, pondering that question.

Goblins were inferior to human beings in height, weight, muscle power, and other physical parameters. They were hard to deal with in the dark because they possessed darkvision, but under the light of day, they were hardly fearsome opponents for the veteran Swords of Darkness.

In addition, they had Ainz, who could take care of them easily like he had yesterday.

Peter was confident that they could make it through even a pincer attack, as long as their opponents were Goblins.

However, there was a reason why Peter could not immediately make that decision.

His adventurer's instincts told him that these Goblins were different from the ones he had fought yesterday.

Simply put, the Goblins in front of him seemed trained and experienced. In addition, they were in good physical shape. In contrast to the scrawny, weak Goblins from yesterday, these Goblins had bodies of rippling muscle.

In addition, the Goblin archers had an excellent shooting stance. If the Goblins yesterday were children playing with sticks, these Goblins were warriors adept at using their bows.

Finally, their weapons were well-made and well-maintained, easily rivalling the weapons of the Swords of Darkness.

Just as humans could become strong through training, monsters could as well. Demihumans like Goblins could certainly do so too.

Therefore, it was quite possible that the Goblins before the Swords of Darkness were stronger than any demihuman foe they had ever fought.

Just then, a voice cut through the wind blowing over the wheatfields, and Lukrut hurriedly looked behind.

"...Hehe, you caught me, huh?"

A Goblin popped his head out from the fields and stuck his tongue out at them. He must have been trying to sneak up on them behind, but his stealth skills were not good enough to evade the senses of Lukrut the ranger. However, their situation was hardly improved even after discovering the Goblin infiltrator.

To make things worse, they then saw a cloud of dust suddenly appeared. Almost as if someone did it after jumping somewhere tall.

Then, a voice rang out of the dust cloud, and said:

"Oi, oi. You don't say "you caught me," It would make the boss sad, you know."

Another person, who stood 200 cm, has excellent build, but he was obviously not human

His skin was colored blue, he has an oriental-looking spear that is easily longer than him. However, his aura exuded a power that no ordinary human could ever surpass.

"Stop where you're standing! Move, or we'll shoot!"

Behind the walls that covered Carne, several watchtowers suddenly, almost as if they were covered in some sort of illusion. On those watchtowers were several uniformed men holding crossbows, ready to fire automatically.

A calm look at their surroundings revealed movements throughout the wheat fields, as though something was hiding inside them. These movements were centered on the wagon, and slowly drew closer. The strange men aimed their crossbows at the group, ready to fire at a moments time.

They were in a very bad situation.

The Swords of Darkness could not think of any way to overcome their current situation.

* * *

Ainz raised his hand to stop Erika from killing them all. After examining the Goblins, the Oni, and the men on the watchtowers, he was certain that his guess was correct.

 _..._ _They should be the Goblins_ _and_ _the Oni_ _summoned from the Horn of the Goblin General_ _and Call of the Oni_ _._ _And these guys are the villagers that were assigned to use those crossbows..._

If the girl who had received that horn was controlling these Goblins and the Oni, then he had to avoid antagonizing them, as much as possible. If that was not the case they would have to think of something else. However, they were not enemies of Ainz, so it should be fine. Especially those villagers on those watchtowers.

The Oni from before looked over to Ainz, who stood tall and steady, and said:

"Please forgive for my late introduction, my name is Mogari Yari. We hope you don't make any sudden moves, chap in full plate, and man in coat. We don't want to start a fight."

The voice was stiff and full of caution as Ainz stopped Erika from lashing out.

"Relax. If you don't attack, neither will we."

"Thanks for that. These nii-sans are strong, but they aren't scary, especially when they can't be compared to the man, the myth, the legend, Mogari Yari!"

As the Goblin said those words. The creature, Mogari Yari, posed and flexed his toned body, thus revealing his very muscular body. He also twirled his oriental spear as to show his skill with a weapon.

Ainz fought the urge to facepalm at Enri's summoned Oni in embarrassment. He was having vague flashbacks when a certain someone who showed off in a similar manner, back when YGGDRASIL was still a popular thing.

The Goblin then made an obviously fake cough, before he continued:

"You, however, are a different matter, and so is that imouto-chan beside you. When I think about the two of you as enemies, my hairs stand on end."

Ainz did not reply, but shrugged. These Goblins and the Oni knew him already, and it would seem their acting skills are very impressive.

"Then, please wait here for a bit before the boss arrives."

"Who's that boss you're talking about!? Did he take over Carne Village!?"

Nfirea's agitation was reflected in the obvious surprise on the Goblins' faces.

"Nfirea, calm down a little. It should be pretty obvious who has the advantage here. In addition, there's a few more oddities about the village based on Erika-san's words. I'm hoping we can avoid pointless fighting before the truth comes out."

Nfirea was hard-pressed to hide his anxiety despite Ninya's words.

The look of immediate confrontation on his face became one of barely-restrained frustration. He clenched his fists tightly, and then slowly released them.

Ainz was surprised and confused by Nfirea's intense reaction as well.

Granted, they had not travelled together for long, and he did not know the lad all that well. However, he did not think that Nfirea would be so excited about something like this. It was possible that this village was not just a simple place to gather herbs, but it had some other significance to him.

Ainz turned a doubting eye on Nfirea. On the other side, the Goblins and the Oni seemed to have sensed Nfirea's anger, and they looked at each other in confusion.

"Hm — this seems different from before…"

"Boss' village was recently attacked by the Theocracy dressed up as Imperial knights, we're just staying on guard after the main force finish putting their finishing touches on their early sparring session."

"The village was attacked…! Is she all right!?"

As though in response to Nfirea's shouts, a girl appeared at the entrance to the village, escorted by more goblins. As he saw the girl, Nfirea's eyes went wide, and he shouted her name with all his strength:

"Enri!"

The girl heard the shout, and responded in turn. Her voice was gentle and filled with kindness, as though addressing a close friend.

"Nfirea!"

At this moment, Ainz recalled what he had heard earlier.

"Ah… it would seem that her herbalist friend was not a woman, but a man. Ah, Enri, why didn't you tell me about him before..."


	13. Volume II Chapter 3

**Hellooooo people! gabrielchiong11 here, and a new chapter for this story.**

 **Now I would like to make an announcement, and most might know it or not, but please hear me out... Are you ready? Okay let's get started.**

 **Have you watched Isekai Quartet? You know, the series that is a crossover between four series, Re:Zero, Konosuba, Youjo Senki, and finally OVERLORD! Hell yeah!**

 **The show is quite funny, not only it is an ambitious crossover series greater than Infinity War, but a show with plenty of opportunities and theories with debate. We have four different MCs that are Isekai'd in their respective series, and you know what their reactions were when they got Isekai'd AGAIN! Just imagine the possibilities. Which begs the question, should I make it a fanfic out of it of my own?**

 **The answer is, yeah, I'm planning on making it some time later as a side story of sorts. But the opportunity still stands, if you agree, please say it the reviews so people could give their own opinions for me and the public to read.**

 **Anyways, I've made changes the fight between Ainz and Hamsuke... You'll know when you get to that part.**

 **Anyways, without any further adieu, let's begin.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord nor the elements used in the story. Everything belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

Clementine stormed back to Khazit's hideout — the secret shrine under E-Rantel's graveyard. Her strides were wild and forceful, her brows were furrowed, and her mouth was twisted. Her pretty features were distorted into something which could only have been described with the word "ugly."

That said, her true nature was probably more grotesque than that face.

Khazit muttered to himself as he guided a newly-created Zombie over to the undead storage area.

"Oh~ A new Zombie? That's over a hundred and fifty now, the Orb of Death is quite extraordinary~"

The number of undead that could be controlled by the third-tier spell 「Create Undead」 was limited by the power of the spell's caster. The more undead one made, the fewer one could control. Still, Zombies were among the lowest grade of undead. Someone like Khazit, who was specialized in controlling the undead, could maintain his hold over the unbelievable amount of over a hundred of them at once. The reason Khazit could control more than even that number was due to the power of the item he carried — the Orb of Death.

"It's all because you've been fooling around so much."

"Sor-ry~"

There was not even the slightest hint of remorse on Clementine's face as she apologized.

"Still~ it's their fault for dying so soon~ couldn't they hold on a little longer—?"

"…When you bash them like that, it's no wonder they'd die…"

"Adventurers wouldn't die so easily~"

"They weren't adventurers, just ordinary civilians… Clementine, do you like spouting obvious things to waste time?"

"Yesyesyes~ I'm sorry, it won't happen again, please forgive me~"

Khazit clicked his tongue.

"As if I could believe that. In any case, stop going after people."

"Oh-kay~"

Her flighty response made Khazit furrow his brows. Still, there was no point going on about it, so he decided not to continue lecturing her. He tried to express his displeasure with the wrinkles of his frown, but as expected, she ignored it.

"Buuut~ I'm so booooooored — speaking of which, where is he, anyway?"

"Has he not returned yet?"

"Not yet. I missed him — since it's hard to get a hold of him, what about grabbing that granny instead~?"

"Stop that. That old woman is a third tier magic caster and a famous person in this city, so don't look down on her. If you move carelessly against her, you might find yourself in too deep to dig yourself out."

"Ehhhhh~ But—"

Khazit reached into his robes, and withdrew a jet-black gemstone.

"…Clementine, I've spent several years preparing to turn this place into a city of the dead. I don't want your pointless antics to set my plans back. If you continue making trouble… I'll kill you."

"…It's called the Death Spiral, right?"

"Indeed. It's the rite our leader is conducting."

In places where the undead gathered, more powerful undead were born. When these more powerful undead gathered, even more powerful undead would appear. The magic rite which made use of this property was like a spiral, constantly spawning ever more powerful undead beings. It was potent enough to destroy an entire city, so it was known as the "Death Spiral."

This wicked ritual had been conducted in the past, and it had turned a metropolis into a city of the dead where the undead roamed free.

Khazit's aim was to turn E-Rantel into another such dead city. He would turn himself into an undead being by harnessing the necromantic energies from such a place.

He had made extensive preparations to achieve his aim. He would not let this woman who had showed up just a few days ago ruin his plans.

"Got it?"

Khazit saw through Clementine's adorably puffed-up cheeks. Her expression was one of cruel malice. In that moment, Clementine surged forward like a killing storm.

She closed the distance between them in an instant, and struck like lightning. The sharp blade in her hand gleamed lethally as it flashed toward Khazit's throat —

* * *

The small blade Clementine thrust forth was a piercing weapon known as a stiletto.

There was little variation in the ways one could attack with a piercing weapon, so they were not easy to use. However, Clementine favored such weapons, and she had trained her body ceaselessly, selected the best equipment, and learned the right martial arts, all in order to kill in a single blow.

This technique of hers, honed and refined through countless battles with humans and monsters, was on a level where no normal person could defend against it.

Clementine was naturally gifted with physical abilities which exceeded those of normal human beings. On top of that, she had spent her life training and practicing her combat skills, so it was only natural that she should be able to fight at such a level. In fact, there was also a sudden surge of power she had somehow gained some nights ago, there was also new unknown character classes added to her as well.

However, her target was not a normal person.

Khazit — one of the twelve high disciples who were the pride of Zuranon — could not be killed so easily. Even though she was holding back a huge amount of power in her strikes.

* * *

—And a white wall-like object which erupted from the ground and intercepted the unavoidable, razor-sharp blade. It was a gigantic hand made of countless human bones, covered in hooks which called to mind the image of maggots.

The hooks writhed, and the earth around them shattered. Under Khazit's mental control, a giant creature began revealing itself.

She could sense a powerful undead creature — well not as powerful as her, due to her new strength — beneath Khazit's feet. The smug Khazit turned toward Clementine and said:

"What a waste of time. Because of you, I was distracted for a moment and lost control of the other undead."

"Tehe~ Sorry 'bout that~ But I wasn't going all out either. You had to pull out all the stops to barely block it, right?"

"That's nonsense and you know it, Clementine. You're not the sort to hold back."

"Uwah~ but it's true~ I was holding back~ mm, if you hadn't blocked it, your shoulder would have been stabbed through. Butbut, I never intended to kill you — really~"

Khazit frowned again as he saw the hateful smile on the woman before him.

"Still, if it was me, I could beat that chap — maybe magic casters couldn't win, but as a warrior, I could defeat it handily. I'm just not too used to bludgeoning-type weapons—"

"…Your specialization in one-hit kills might make you strong against the living, but what will you do against the undead which lack biological processes? And do you really think 'that chap' is the last card I have to play?"

"Mmm~ that's also true~"

Clementine glanced toward the entrance. She seemed to have noticed the undead controlled by Khazit, who were waiting there for his orders.

"I could win… But if I draw out the fight I'll probably still win~ tehe~, sorry, Khazi-chan."

Clementine returned her stilettos under her cloak, and the rumbling from the earth ceased.

"Buuuut~ that's a specialized undead controller for you~ Well done!"

With that, Clementine turned and left.

"Ah, yes, yes, I won't touch that granny until the end. I won't go hunting people either. That should be okay, right?"

"…Mm."

Khazit did not release the power he was holding until Clementine left. He continued holding on to it even after her shadow was gone from his underground shrine.

"What a bad personality," Khazit spat.

He had his own flaws, but he was not nearly as bad as Clementine.

"Even though she's so skilled… No, it's because she's so skilled that she's so twisted."

Clementine was strong, and even among the twelve executives of the secret society Zuranon, only three of them could beat her before she gained her newfound power. Sadly, Khazit was not one of them. Even with the magic item in his hand, he only had around a thirty — no! A thousandth percent chance of success.

"The former Ninth Seat of the Black Scripture… Deranged individuals with the power of heroes are hard to deal with. Still, how did she get so strong all of a sudden?"

* * *

"So that's what happened."

Nfirea sighed deeply, and mumbled to himself.

Nfirea had been close to Enri's parents. They were great parents, and the way they loved their daughters was quite enviable. Nfirea had lost his parents at a young age and only had murky impressions of them. Therefore, when he thought of an outstanding father and mother, Nfirea immediately thought of Enri's parents.

He was filled with rage when he heard that her parents had been killed by the Imperial knight impostors from the Theocracy, and all he could think when he learned that they had been slaughtered in turn was serves them right. He was also somewhat angry at the higher-ups in E-Rantel, who refused to send soldiers over.

However, he felt something was wrong about him displaying this anger, when Enri — for whom that anger was far more justified — had set those feelings aside.

He looked at Enri, her eyes brimming with tears. As he wondered whether he should try to comfort her, Enri wiped her tears away and smiled:

"I still have a little sister. I can't lose myself in sadness forever."

Nfirea was halfway off his chair, and now he sat down again. Having lost the chance to console her, he felt like he had wasted an opportunity and was ashamed of his own uselessness.

Even so — his desire to protect her had not changed. After a brief pause, Nfirea made up his mind. He would not let anyone other than himself sit beside Enri, even if that person was a powerful being who could protect her.

He felt a little anxious, but while he was riding on this surge of emotion, Nfirea decided that he would share the feelings he had had ever since he came to this village for the first time as a child.

"Then—"

His throat seemed to have clamped shut. Come on, say it! Although he desperately wanted to speak, the words stuck in his throat and refused to leave.

Both Enri and Nfirea were at an age where it would not be unusual for them to be married. In addition, due to his income as a herbalist, Nfirea had enough money to support Enri and her little sister.

 _I could probably provide for a child too…_

The image of the family he wanted to make appeared in his mind — but he immediately waved away his runaway imagination. The knowledge that Enri was looking at him in surprise made him even more nervous.

His mouth opened, and then closed.

 _I like you._

 _I love you._

But the words refused to leave his lips, because he was afraid of hearing her reject him.

Then, what else could he say to shorten the distance between them?

 _The city's safer, do you want to live with me? I'll take care of you and your little sister. If you want to work, you can help in Granny's shop._

 _If you feel uneasy about the city, I'll do my best to help you._

He should say that. The chances of those words being rejected would be a lot lower than a confession of love.

"Enri!"

"Wh-What happened, Nfirea?"

Enri jumped as Nfirea loudly called her name. He began to speak:

"—If, if, if you've got any problems, let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help you!"

"Thank you… You're such a good friend that it's almost wasted on me, Nfirea!"

"Ah, ah, er… it, it's fine, we've known each other for so long, after all."

Nfirea was unable to say anything else in the face of Enri's beaming smile. He cursed himself for his uselessness, but at the same time he fondly reflected on how cute Enri was, and of the times he had spent talking with her.

Just as it seemed the matter was at an end, Nfirea asked a question:

"Come to think of it, what's up with those Goblins? As well as that creature I don't know about?"

Those Goblins called Enri their "Ane-san." And the strange Demihuman called her "Boss." In addition, those Goblins differed greatly from the ones they had encountered on the road to Carne; they had the air of veteran warriors. Especially with that creature that calls himself a Oni who have strength beyond the realm of men. It was even more surprising to see a magic caster in the village. When and where had these Goblins and that Oni encountered a simple village girl like Enri, and what sort of relationship did she have with them?

Enri simply replied:

"They appeared after I used two of four magic items given to us by our village's savior, Ainz Ooal Gown and Pandora Ooal Gown. They follow my orders."

"I see…"

Enri's eyes were like twin sparkling stars as she said that name. It made Nfirea feel bitter inside.

Ainz and Pandora Ooal Gown.

Enri had already mentioned this name several times since they started talking.

When Carne Village was attacked by men from the Theocracy dressed as Imperial knights, a magic caster and his son who were passing by saved the village with his tremendous might, returning peace to the village. They were Enri's savior, and someone that Nfirea should thank. She even said that they stayed in this village for a while, and constructed the wall with their magic and intellect. They also set up several watchtowers that have been coated in illusion and were equipped with automatic crossbows that shot multiple arrows at a time before reloading.

However, the look on Enri's face made it difficult for him to thank them in earnest.

He could understand how Enri felt when she mentioned her messiahs, but at the same time, jealousy welled up at the bottom of his heart. He was filled with his one-sided love for Enri, and by his competitive spirit as a man. Influenced by these emotions, his emotions turned ugly.

Furthermore, she even talked about how Ainz resembled that of a caring father, and Pandora as an older brother to them was more than enough to make Nfirea grumbled under his breath in envy.

Nfirea thrust these feelings aside, and turned his thoughts to the magic item of which Enri had spoken.

It was a magic item which summoned Goblins, called the "Horn of the Goblin General." That sounded like a magic item used by a Goblin General given by its name.

There was also another magic item which summoned Onis, called the "Call of the Oni."

Although he never heard what an Oni was, but from what Enri had told him, made his jaw drop.

Onis are another word for demons. Creatures of darkness that enjoyed the misery of human beings.

Normally he would say "Demons are evil, and cannot be trusted," "They are the enemies of nearly every being in this world," and the like. However, that wasn't the case.

From what Ainz had told her, Onis are like ogres but had taken a more humanoid form and are more intelligent and powerful than an Ogre. In fact, he had said that ogres that are normally seen in the area are referred to as a 'Western Ogre' while the Onis that Enri summoned are commonly referred by foreigners as an 'Eastern Ogre'.

The magic caster who had saved her village had explained what sort of horn it was, she remembers every bit of it after he explained to her in great detail. Especially the creatures it summoned.

Nfirea felt it was a little strange.

He had no idea such magic items existed. Granted, there were still many items left behind the centuries used by the Eight Greed Kings and the Dragon Lords of old. But then again, there might be more items other than the ones mentioned.

Still, there were many magic items which could summon creatures, just as there were many summoning spells in magic. Any monsters summoned with those spells would vanish after a while.

Summoned monsters were not creatures which could persist for a long time.

If that item could do that, it might well overturn all of magical history and theory to date.

How valuable was a magic item which could accomplish such a feat? Enri did not seem to have realized its value, but if she sold it, she could probably live comfortably for the rest of her life.

Enri had used those rare and precious items because she did not want blood to flow in the village once more.

Nfirea felt that this line of thinking was very much her style. Thus, the Goblins and the Oni she had summoned called her Ane-san, or Boss, followed her orders, and in addition to protecting the village they even helped in the fields. Apparently, they were even teaching the villagers how to use bows, spears, and how to defend themselves. As a result, the village had gained several odd new residents.

Part of the reason why the village could accept the Goblins and the Oni was because the knights who had attacked the villagers had been human beings like them. This had made them distrust human beings, and thus they could more easily accept the Goblins' and Oni's help.

Another big reason was because the one who bestowed this item on them was the magic caster and his son that had saved the village.

"So, he was called Ainz Ooal Gown and Pandora Ooal Gown? What sort of men are they like? I'd like to thank them myself."

Nfirea knew nothing about the name Ainz Ooal Gown and Pandora Ooal Gown. Besides, Enri had seen his face under his mask, as well as his son, so she has an idea who they were either. Still, anyone who could casually give away precious items like those horns had to be someone important. If that was the case, she couldn't have consider it so easily. After he told her that line of reasoning, a look of disappointment appeared on her face.

"Is that so… I was thinking you would know them as well, Nfirea… Ainz-sama said they were traveling magic casters, I suppose that their fame hasn't been renowned yet. Given that they had traveled to so many places. And I'm in no place to tell you how they looked like."

Enri's reply made Nfirea's heart pound violently, and sweatdrops bloomed uncomfortably on his back.

… _Looks aside, they'd be a hit just going by their strength alone._

The words from last night appeared in Nfirea's mind, and he began to pant and breathe heavily.

Forcing down the uneasiness in his heart, Nfirea asked:

"En-Enri, what, what will you do when you see those Gown fellows again?"

"Hm? Mm, I'd like to ask them for more ideas. The village came together with some new ideas of building some new infrastructure — I think he and Pandora-sama liked to call it — because of the idea of renovating the village to be better than before, and also to be self-reliant on resources as well."

After sensing that the answer did not contain any hints of affection which frightened him, Nfirea breathed a sigh of relief, and let his tensed shoulders relax.

"Ah. Is that so? Mm… Hoo. Yes, of course you need to ask him... Right, do you know what sort of magic he used?"

"Ah, magic, huh. It, it was really amazing. There was a flash of lightning and the knight went down in one hit."

"Lightning, huh… Did you hear him say 「Lightning」 or something?"

Enri's eyes looked to the sky, and then she nodded deeply.

"Mm! …Yes I heard him say that. It was called 「Dragon Lightning」."

After hearing Enri called the name of the spell, Nfirea concluded that this Gown fellow used a very different spell than the common third tier spell 「Lightning」was.

"If that's the case… What kind of tier the spell was in?

"He said it was magic of the fifth tier... Why do you look so shocked? Is that so amazing?"

"Of course it is! I can only use second tier magic myself. Third tier of the magic is the limit for normal people. Only talent-holders can use magic beyond that. Fifth tier is a spell only those in the Realm of Heroes could use!"

"I knew it! Gown-san is really amazing!"

Enri respectfully nodded. However, Nfirea did not think the magic caster called Ainz was limited to third tier spells. Given that he was a person who could nonchalantly give away those magic items, he was able to use fifth tier spells, which were the domain of heroes. And since he heard Enri's answer, he should be actually in the domain of heroes.

 _Why would such a great person come to a village like this?_

A confused Nfirea tilted his head to the side, but then Enri dropped a bombshell which immediately blew all his doubts away.

"In addition, he gave me a red potion too—"

Nfirea recalled part of a conversation from earlier:

* * *

 _Flashback:_

" _Then, what if I paid you, and you told me more about the person who gave you that potion?"_

 _The warrior named Britta did not seem happy about that request:_

" _And why do you want to know?"_

" _Of course it's to find clues to lead me to that mysterious man in stylish black coat. If we get in his good graces, he might tell us where he got those potions from, right? He might let something slip by accident, so if he's an adventurer, I want to hire him for a job. How about it, Nfirea?"_

* * *

That was the reason Nfirea had asked for Momon by name.

Nfirea's plan was to winkle out information about the potion by deepening his friendship with Momon. In addition, if they went to pick herbs in the forest together, Momon might accidentally reveal something.

Nfirea tried to hide the excitement in his heart, and in the same calm voice from before he asked Enri:

"Hm, what kind of potion was it like?"

"Eh?"

"You know I'm a herbalist, of course I'd be interested in potions."

"Ahhh, that's right! Making these things is your job."

Enri told Nfirea everything she knew about the magic caster and the potion he had given her. She mentioned the name Ainz Ooal Gown's and Pandora Ooal Gown's wondrous deeds several times during her account. The Nfirea from just now might have been filled with jealousy, but at the moment, his mind was pondering other matters.

He put all this information together, and after peeling back several layers of mystery, the hidden truth was revealed.

It was very likely that the potion which had appeared in E-Rantel and which Enri had drunk were one and the same. It was also apparent that a pair of adventurers had appeared in both those places, a magic caster and a warrior in black stylish coat.

There could only be one answer, yet there were two people who could be candidates for being Ainz Ooal Gown and Pandora Ooal Gown. From what Enri had said, he could conclude that Ainz and Pandora were just men, but he decided to ask again just to be sure.

"…Could that Ainz Ooal Gown and Pandora Ooal Gown people be… Women?"

"Eh? Of course they're not! I've seen their faces, and their voices were that of men's."

By itself, this was not proof that Ainz and Pandora were males. After all, there were spells and magic items which could change voices. It seemed strange to think that Erika = Ainz Ooal Gown. The naive and occasionally merciless Erika seemed completely different from the wise, benign, and righteous Ainz. It was clearly too much of a stretch to think of her as Ainz. Especially when Enri kept mentioning that Ainz was a father...

"The person in noble-looking clothes was called Pandora. Nemu once nicknamed him Pan, a shorter version of his named. She liked it so much, Pandora-sama had no choice but to accept it, since Nemu wanted it so badly."

"Is, is that so…"

He remembered the name from when Erika had said it.

The answers were clear.

Ainz Ooal Gown = Momon.

Pan + Dora = Pandora

From that, he could draw a startling revelation.

The magic caster who had saved the village was also a fearsome warrior. Although there were some warriors with magical training, for the most part, one would cancel out the good points of the other. In a similar vein, arcane magic casters could not cast spells while wearing the heavy equipment which most warriors favored.

 _So he was a magic caster of the fifth tier, as well as a swordsman on par with an adamantite ranked adventurer._

This must be some kind of joke. If someone like that truly existed, he would be a hero among heroes.

Still, why had he asked so many questions on the road?

The most logical answer was that he was a magic caster who had learned his art in another country and was not sure about this one. That being the case, it made sense that he would possess potions from another land, whose means of manufacture was completely unknown.

After learning this piece of priceless information, his breathing became irregular, and he could not calm himself down even though he knew Enri was staring at him.

His heart was filled with complex emotions.

Ainz had saved Enri and given away potions. In comparison, Nfirea was a miserable little man who tried to get into Momon's good graces, in order to learn how he made those potions, and knowing this shamed him.

It was only natural that Enri would fall for someone like Momon. Although, that seemed quite impossible because he already has a son that was grown up.

As he thought about this, he could not help but sigh heavily.

"Are, are you all right? You don't look too good."

"Mm, mm. I'm okay, I was just thinking about something…"

Perhaps he could try to stave off his feelings of guilt by thinking that he wanted to learn the secret of that potion in order to save people. However, that hardly seemed convincing, given that he had wanted to learn how to make those potions in his capacity as a herbalist.

A mighty warrior who was also a legendary magic caster, accompanied by a beautiful young girl, who possessed unknown potions, a righteous man that saved an innocent village girl from danger… And himself.

Nfirea considered the distance between himself and Ainz Ooal Gown — no, Momon — and fell into despair.

"What's wrong? You seem strange…?"

"Ah, mm. It's nothing."

Nfirea suppressed a sigh and smiled weakly. However, he was not confident he could make it look natural, and Enri's expression showed that she had seen through his fake smile.

"…What should I do? Enri, you don't like people who hide things from you, right?"

"…Everyone has something they'd want to hide when brought before the gods, especially things which would hurt others if spoken. But it's a different matter if hiding those things would hurt others… Nfirea, I won't hate you for it, but if you've committed any crimes, you need to confess your sins to the magistrate!"

"…No, I did nothing wrong."

"Yes… Mm! Like I was saying! How could you do a bad thing, Nfirea? I believe in you!"

As he looked at the giggling Enri, Nfirea let the tension flow out of his shoulders.

"Mm, but still, thank you. For some strange reason, I feel the weight lifting off my shoulders. I'll work hard to catch up with him."

 _So that I can raise my head before you and say that I like you and that I love you._

Enri, who had no idea what Nfirea's impassioned declaration and his previous words meant, simply smiled and nodded politely.

* * *

"Hmm…"

Ainz looked over to a certain part of the village, sighing as he did.

There, he saw several villagers lined up in a row. There were men, women, and children of all ages. He could see a motherly-looking forty year old woman as well as teenagers. The one thing they had in common was the stern look on their faces, which might even be mistaken for hostility. It was a clear sign that nobody here was in the mood to play around.

A Goblin with a bow addressed the villagers.

Even Ainz's heightened sense of hearing could not make out his words over the great distance.

After a while, the line of villagers slowly raised their bows. They were simple, shabby shortbows which looked warped and were probably self-made. He should've told Pandora to make an actual bow for them. There might be special cases that requires that it would be made with several materials into the mix as well.

After drawing their bows all the way back, they took aim at the strawmen some distance away.

The Goblin must have given an order, because the villagers loosed as one.

The bows looked crude, but the arrows they launched flew in beautiful trajectories. All of them struck the straw men, without a single miss.

"Not bad…"

Ainz could not help but praise them.

"Are they really that good?"

Erika, standing behind Ainz, could not help but express her doubt and worry.

In all likelihood, Erika could not understand why their skills were praiseworthy. After all, it might be because they were like children at play compared to the archers from where she came from. But the question is, where...?

As he realised what Erika was thinking, a bitter smile bloomed on Ainz's illusionary face under his helmet.

"You might be right, Erika. Their technique is hardly something to get excited over. However, ten days ago, at the time they were attacked, they did not even know how to use a bow. In order to prevent their spouses, children, and parents from being slain once more, they threw themselves into training, so that they could one day stand with weapons in hand to fight. Is that not worthy of praise?"

What was truly praiseworthy was the depths of the villagers' hate, which had brought them this far.

"My, my deepest apologies. I had not thought that far."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it so much, Erika. It's true that their skills aren't really that impressive... Yet."

Ainz watched as more arrows sailed through the air and penetrated the strawmen. An idea suddenly came to mind.

How strong could they become? How strong could he become?

Ainz had attained the maximum level in YGGDRASIL, level one hundred, and in this world, level two hundred. When he came to the world, his excess XP bar was around ninety percent full. It was just a hunch, but since his other abilities were intact, the concept of levels should exist in this world as well. The question now was whether he could obtain that remaining ten percent of the experience bar and reach level two hundred and one.

To some extent, he had an answer to this question.

He could not become stronger. This was as powerful as he was going to get.

Ainz's might was one which could no longer grow, but their weakness could be an unfathomable source of strength.

If there were no limits on the inhabitants of this world, if they could surpass the maximum level of one hundred in YGGDRASIL or possibly beyond two hundred, then Ainz and Pandora might not be able to beat them. Especially when he couldn't figure out how their levels increased thrice in number.

And that would definitely—

"It's not impossible…"

Ainz felt it was possible that the Six Gods who appeared in the Slaine Theocracy six hundred years ago were actually players. Although he did not know why they had appeared so far apart from Ainz, if they counted heteromorphic beings — which had no maximum lifespan — among their number or if they possessed classes which extended their lifespans, there was a very high chance that they had survived to the present day.

If the Six Gods were still hiding in the Slaine Theocracy, and if they had begun powerleveling others using the power of the Six Gods — i.e. helping them with the abilities of powerful players in order to gain experience faster than normal — from six hundred years ago, it might well be possible that there were people in excess of level one hundred or beyond.

If that were the case, the reason why the Theocracy had not yet taken over the world might be because there were other beings of the same calibre lying in wait. It might even be the case that being level one hundred or two hundred meant nothing.

As he thought about that, Ainz's nonexistent gut began cramping up again.

If the Six Gods really were players, then he had to try and get on their good side while he lacked information about this world. According to the members of the Sunlight Scripture, the Imperial knights attacking this village were imposters from the Theocracy, which meant that saving this village was making an enemy of them.

Furthermore, he had also captured a black ops unit that was considered to be the best extermination group out of the six scriptures. Including the fact that they were well-known to be powerful men. That only worsened the grim conclusion Ainz made.

 _Was helping them a mistake…_

As he had surmised, gathering more information was a top priority.

Just as Ainz was absentmindedly pondering these matters, he noticed a teenager running over to him. The hair which normally obscured his eyes swayed from side to side, and he could see a pair of eyes fixed intently on himself.

Ainz immediately had a bad feeling about Nfirea. It looked like the same panic the village chief had from earlier.

"Why the rush? Did an emergency crop up again? This village is really…"

Nfirea reached the mumbling Ainz.

He was panting heavily and his forehead was slick with sweat. His hair, stuck to his skin by his perspiration, revealed a serious expression which was directed at Ainz and Erika.

Nfirea seemed a little hesitant and unsure of whether to speak. In the end, he gathered up his determination and asked Ainz:

"Momon-san, are you Ainz Ooal Gown-san?"

The sudden question left Ainz dumbfounded. He should have denied it immediately.

But could he do that? It was a name made together with his friends. Now that he had used it as his own, could he deny it so easily?

This brief hesitation was an unspoken admission, and Nfirea continued:

"So it was you, Gown-san. Thank you for saving this village, as well as saving Enri."

As Ainz looked on the bowing Nfirea, he quietly replied, "No… I…"

After hearing the words Ainz managed to squeeze out, Nfirea nodded in understanding.

"Yes. I understand why you might want to go by a different name, but still, I have to thank you for saving this village — for saving Enri, the girl whom I like."

Ainz did not reply to the deeply bowing Nfirea. While part of him, the middle-aged uncle part, was musing that the words "the girl whom I like" were really a youthful thing, another part of him was reminiscing nostalgically about things past, and at the same time he thought about other, more important things.

"Ah… That's enough… Raise your head."

This answer was a tacit admission that he was in fact Ainz Ooal Gown, but no matter how he tried to get out of this, there was no way he could deny Nfirea's conclusion. This was a complete defeat for Ainz.

"Yes, Gown-san. The truth is… I've been hiding something from you."

"…Come with me. Erika, stay here and wait for a moment. It shouldn't take too long."

After telling Erika to stay, Ainz brought Nfirea to a place some distance away. This was to keep Erika from overreacting if she heard something odd.

Once they had gone far enough away from Erika, Ainz turned to face Nfirea.

"Actually…"

Nfirea swallowed nervously, but the look on his face was full of determination.

"Gown-san, the potion which you gave that lady in the inn cannot be made by normal methods and is extremely rare. I wanted to know what sort of person would have such a potion and what kind of methods would produce such a potion, which was why I requested this job. I am very sorry about that."

"Ah, so that's what it was."

As he thought, it had been a mistake.

Ainz had given the healing potion to Enri in this village, and to someone else in E-Rantel. Because of that, his identity had been exposed. In addition—

… _Maybe I should have taken back that potion. If I'd gotten that woman adventurer's name as well it would have been fine… although, there's no point regretting it now._

At the time, Ainz felt that giving her that potion was the best course of action.

That woman had said, "Well, seeing as you're dressed in such a stylish black coat, surely you must have some healing potions, right?" Perhaps she had not thought about those words before speaking them, but the fact was that they greatly limited the ways in which Ainz could have responded.

For instance, one might see a person getting out of an expensive car. Upon seeing that person's opulent, almost decadent clothing and appearance, they would assume that the car matched their background. But what if that person dressed shabbily? People watching might then think that person had spent all their money on the car. They might even laugh at him.

Ainz wanted to avoid that sort of situation.

If he had refused on the spot, people might have become jealous of his somewhat beautiful companion Erika, as well as his own stylish black coat. They might have even begun spreading malicious rumors about him. Such rumors were a thing that followed one for life after they appeared, and people would bring them up constantly.

Ainz had come to E-Rantel to build his reputation as an adventurer. As a result, he had to avoid any actions which might damage his public image.

He had given her the potion after considering these factors.

It was a gamble which he had lost, but he did not lament it. This was not a fatal mistake, and all he needed to do was work hard to compensate for it. After all, Ainz was not a perfect being who could do no wrong.

Still, he did not know why Nfirea was apologizing.

"Is there anything to be sorry for?"

"Eh?"

"…Well, I can't say I feel entirely good about someone hiding something from me while smiling and shaking my hand, but then this assignment was designed to build a connection with me, am I correct? What's wrong with that?"

A deeply puzzled Ainz asked this question from the bottom of his heart.

"Gown-san, you're really are a magnanimous person…"

Ainz had no idea why Nfirea was so impressed by him. Building connections was a basic element of living in society, so there was nothing wrong with what Nfirea had done. He was somewhat confused about the details, but he vaguely understood. Perhaps Nfirea thought that Ainz believed that Nfirea was drawing close to Ainz in order to steal industrial secrets.

"If I told you how to make the potion, what would you do with that knowledge?"

Nfirea gasped in surprise, and after a brief period of thought he answered:

"I had not thought that far ahead. I just wanted to know because I was curious… Granny's probably the same way too."

"I see. Then, there's no problem. If you were planning to exploit it for criminal gain, it would be a different matter, but if not, then it's fine."

"You're really amazing. No wonder… She looks at you that way…"

As Nfirea murmured, the wind dried the sweat on his forehead, and his hair fell down to cover his eyes again. Still, Ainz could see a look of admiration in his eyes, like a boy meeting with his favorite baseball player.

Nfirea's expression reminded Ainz of the look of surprise and immense gratitude on his own face, when his friends had saved him after he had been repeatedly PKed.

For a moment, he felt embarrassed, and then that emotion was damped down.

Ainz was surprised that Nfirea's attitude could affect his heart, but he immediately calmed himself down and moved on. First, he had to be sure of one thing.

"Speaking of which, are you the only one who knows that I am Ainz?"

"Yes, I didn't tell anyone else."

"Is that so, that's good."

Saying that, Ainz thought about how to continue speaking with Nfirea, but he had no idea where to begin. In the end, he decided to ask him directly.

"…Right now, I am simply Momon the adventurer. I would be glad if you could keep that in mind."

"Yes, I thought you'd say something like that. I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble, Momon-san, but I needed to thank you in person. Thank you very much, as well as your son and daughter, for saving Enri and this village."

Nfirea delivered his earnest thanks with a sincere look in his eyes.

Ainz was somewhat confused of the daughter part, but shrugged it off, and said:

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. I was merely righting a wrong where I saw it."

"Even so, there shouldn't have been a need to give away those horns."

The truth was that there was no particular reason behind giving those horns away. However, if that was how Nfirea had interpreted the gift, then he would leave it at that. Ainz said nothing but merely nodded in a magnanimous way.

* * *

In his capacity as an employer, Nfirea arranged with Ainz to head for the forest in an hour's time. After thanking him again, he turned and left.

As he watched Nfirea vanish into the distance, Erika came and Ainz suddenly asked her, with tense hostility in his words:

"Tell me, who exactly are you?"

"Eh!?"

Ainz could tell that this girl, Erika, seemed confused. However, he could not let it side.

"Who are you, and where did you come from!? And how did you know Pandora's name!?"

This were the questions that was bugging him the entire night yesterday.

How did she know Pandora's name? Although she said it partially, but that's besides the point. All he wants to know who she was, where did she came from, and how did she know. Especially when Nfirea of all people told him that Erika was his... Daughter...?

Erika stood there silently, almost as if deep in her thoughts. This might be because Ainz had his suspicions over her, and that her cover has been blown. Finally, she said:

"...Even if I told you, would you even believe me?"

That question struck a chord in Ainz's being.

Would he believe her? Would he trust that she won't lie to him? Would he even consider that it might be true?

After thoroughly thinking this through. He would have to put in a show of force if she lied to him. Keep in mind, he was not to change his mind that easily.

"...If you lie, I won't let you leave. Even if I had to do so with force."

"...I understand. I will tell you everything I know when return to E-Rantel after this mission."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because... There's something needed to be done, and it requires you to do it."

Ainz could tell she wasn't lying, and at the same time, not telling the whole truth.

The reason was simple: he had read her aura.

Ever since he had gotten better of using aura as a means to measure someone's power level. He knew it wasn't enough, and he practiced using it for the entire first night at his stay in Carne Village with Pandora. And before he knew it, he could read someone's feelings and thoughts to a certain degree.

That's why he was so confident with this skill. He could tell someone was lying, and finding out what was going on based on their aura. But, Ainz knew that relying too much on reading aura could lead to certain downfalls, such as using magic to cover someone's aura and can be undetected depending on the item or magic she used.

Still, it wasn't that he was reluctant to use it. Then again, there were no other methods in doing so.

In other words, this was his primary method of knowing the truth or the lies of others. He didn't used it on Nfirea earlier, simply because he knew his intentions the moment when Ainz had the general idea of his reasons.

Simply put, he was a walking lie detector.

"Very well." Ainz finally spoke, surprising Erika, "And if you ever thought of lying to me through your teeth. I won't hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

There were no malice, nor hostility in her voice. It sounded like that of a girl who had finally felt peace in knowing that the person she knew about was still the same. Ainz could tell that she was smiling warmly like a child who looked up to her personal hero.

For Ainz, he personally find it strange.

Looking where Carne was at. The view of the village seemed awfully poetic for some reason as he looked at it with pondering eyes.

"In any case... I'll see how it goes from here and there."

That was all Ainz could think of for the moment.

* * *

There was a large clearing in the dense forest about a hundred meters from the village. Although that clearing had been made by the villagers cutting down trees — under the protection of the Goblins, the Oni, and several of Ainz's men — in order to make logs, it still looked like the gaping maw of some gigantic beast.

Ainz and the others made their final checks, and then the young man who had hired them spoke up:

"We'll be entering the forest after this, so I'll be counting on you to protect me. That said, the area just inside the forest is part of the Wise King of the Forest's sphere of control, so under normal circumstances, the chances of meeting other monsters are very low. The problem is that the Ogres we met yesterday came from a place near the Wise King of the Forest's territory, so something must have happened in the woods. Although it's hardly something that I need to warn you gentlemen about, I hope everyone will remain on guard."

Nfirea's gaze rested briefly on Ainz.

The Swords of Darkness turned to look at Ainz as well.

"Well, with you around, we should be fine, Momon-san."

"…If that monster called the Wise King of the Forest appears, let us hold it back. You should escape first."

They could not help but gasp as they heard Ainz's confident pronouncement. He seemed to shine even brighter in their eyes than after yesterday's battle with the Ogres.

Ainz felt like something was wrong every time the people around him did that. This was a relic of rarely being praised in his past life. He envied the way Erika could accept their awe so naturally with a smug look on her face.

"If there's a need to run, could you please leave without delay? If the Wise King of the Forest is strong, I'll need to face it with my full power, and I don't want to get everyone caught up in it."

"Understood. If that happens, we'll protect Nfirea-san and flee the forest. But don't push yourself too hard either, Momon-san."

"Thank you. I'll escape when it gets dangerous."

"Then… Momon-san."

Nfirea seemed to be wavering between speech and silence. In the end, he made up his mind and said:

"Could you not kill the Wise King of the Forest, but instead chase it away?"

"…Why is that?"

"Mm, Carne Village has not been attacked by monsters because the Wise King of the Forest's territory is nearby. If you defeat the Wise King of the Forest…"

"I see…"

"That might be a bit much. Momon-san is strong, but his opponent is a legendary monster. Wouldn't he be in trouble if he couldn't defend himself with his full strength? How would he have the luxury of—"

"I understand."

"Wha—!" Lukrut exclaimed in shock.

The other Swords of Darkness remained silent, but their surprise was written all over their faces.

"It might be difficult, but I'll try to go easy on it and merely chase it away."

Ainz's reply, brimming with confidence, raised goosebumps on the skin of his fellow adventurers.

"Even if your opponent is... A legendary monster that's lived for centuries..."

"Is this the sort of attitude that only the strong have…"

"Judging by Momon-san's personality, he probably isn't exaggerating or bluffing…"

In stark contrast to the Swords of Darkness, Nfirea had an idea of Ainz's power, and he had a relieved expression on his face.

As he looked toward the young man, Ainz laughed in his heart.

Nfirea hoped that monsters would not attack Carne Village, despite under the protection of the Oni who were much powerful than the Goblins. That being the case, all Ainz needed to do was to have other monsters replace the Wise King of the Forest in enforcing its area of influence. That way he could still fulfill Nfirea's wish.

Even if he ended up killing the Wise King of the Forest, all he had to do was pray that some sort of being much more powerful than the Wise King of the Forest would appear and instantly replace the Wise King of the Forest if he were to kill.

An undead wasn't part of the list.

"All right! Now, let's move on. The herbs I'm looking for this time look like this. If anyone finds them, let me know."

Nfirea produced a sample of a withered plant from a herb-gathering pouch on his belly.

"Oh, it's Ngenac grass!"

To Ainz, it looked like the nearby weeds. However, Dyne the druid was different, and he immediately named the plant.

Lukrut and Ninya nodded in response to hearing the name. They probably had some herbal knowledge themselves, and the name jogged their memories.

Just as he was hesitating over whether to pretend that he knew, everyone looked at Ainz.

"Momon-san, are you all right?"

"Eh? Ah, that plant? I've heard of it."

Ainz calmly nodded in agreement.

If he were not undead, his voice might have become high-pitched from panic, but his helmet prevented others from seeing his expression, which also concealed his feelings. Ainz was clothed in a stylish black coat and cut an imposing figure, but his heart was closer to that of a bunny.

"Yes, this herb is commonly used when making potions."

"So it's commonly found near adventurers!"

"Indeed it is. Now I see why we came to this place — I've heard that wild herbs are more potent than cultivated ones, no?"

"That's right. Incidentally, the fact that we use all-natural ingredients in our potions is a point of pride for us! Well, they're only about ten percent more effective than those of the competition."

"That ten percent can be crucial to people who frequently put their lives on the line. To think you sell better potions for the same price... As expected of the Bareare Apothecary, which built its reputation on selling high-quality potions."

As he heard Nfirea and the Swords of Darkness discussing potions, Ainz fell into deep thought.

In YGGDRASIL, healing potions were usually made through skills that were only available through certain job classes, or by casting the desired spells on the appropriate ingredients. Although Ainz knew a little about this field, all he knew was that the ingredients were made by compounding specific substances with an alchemical solvent, but never through the use of herbs.

In other words, potions in this world were made in a different way from YGGDRASIL. This must have been what Nfirea meant by "could not be made by normal methods."

Ainz was convinced that mastering the potion-making techniques of this world would strengthen his and Pandora's survival in this world. The question now was how to master them.

He would have ordered Pandora to transform one of his comrades — Tabula Smaragdrina — and use his alchemist skills in order for it to happen successfully. With this in mind, it would be a matter of time that it would come to pass. This was one of the many advantages that Ainz was glad that Pandora possessed and was with him in this world.

As he was thinking, the conversation seemed to have turned to the job once more, and Ainz turned to listen.

"There's a clearing in the forest, which I've designated as our destination. I've already told you about that place, Lukrut-san, so please guide us there."

After hearing Lukrut's casual "Leave it to me," Nfirea turned back to the others.

"Then, let's begin the herb collection—"

"—I have a suggestion, actually."

"Please tell us, Momon-san."

"Since Erika can cast something like the 「Alarm」 spell we used when pitching camp, could we temporarily split off when we reach the destination?"

Everyone, Nfirea included, wrinkled their brows. This was because they were uneasy about their strongest fighting force leaving them in such a dangerous area. However, Nfirea quickly replied:

"That's fine. However, please don't go for too long."

"Of course. In order to avoid getting lost, I'll tie a rope to myself. Tug on it if there's anything."

"Then, could I go too? I need to watch carefully in case you and Erika-chan do something weird in the bushes."

"Die, you shameless pervert! Is lust the only thing left in your head? If I castrated you, would you still be able to move?"

"…That's enough, Erika. Lukrut-san, there's no need to go that far. Although, I'd like to ask Ninya-san if there's a spell which can tell you where members of your group are when you're scattered in the forest. It would be convenient if such a magic existed."

"I've never heard of such a spell. It would be very handy if it existed."

Ainz nodded as he heard Ninya's denial.

 _There's a sixth tier spell which can detect the location of specific objects. Do they lack knowledge in that field, or is it that there are spells which are unique to YGGDRASIL just as there are spells which are unique to this world?_

Ainz put these thoughts aside for a moment and raised his chin to signal Erika, indicating that she should get ready. Knowing what it meant, Erika nodded and began sizing up the Swords of Darkness.

"Then, Momon-san and Erika-san will leave us for a while, and we'll pick the herbs after they return."

Since it was their employer's decision, nobody else could object. The Swords of Darkness nodded one by one.

After the discussion and other matters were concluded, Nfirea called for them to move out. The group shouldered their baggage and entered the forest.

There were trees felled by the villagers nearby. The earth was already dried out. It looked like an easily walkable stretch of forest, but the scenery before their eyes slowly transformed into something like a green labyrinth.

There were no landmarks in the forest, and it was impossible to tell in which direction one was moving. A sense of unease filled everyone, as though they had been swallowed up. The sky-scraping trees further intensified that uneasiness, and most people would have been frightened by this scene. However, Ainz had an undead mind and felt no fear, apart from the vestiges of his human mind. He calmly praised the magnificent natural vista before him.

In YGGDRASIL's forest and other natural zones, he considered these things to be simple in-game scenery. Even now, he still thought the same way.

Ainz — who was proud of the design of the once Great Tomb of Nazarick — was filled with complex emotions. He had not expected that natural forest could be so awe-inspiring.

 _I see why Blue Planet-san liked nature so much..._

He looked around as he surveyed the forest, but it was peaceful, and he saw no traces of any animals. Aside from the distant sound of birdsong, there was no sign of life here at all.

At the same time, he observed Lukrut the ranger advancing carefully, keeping a lookout with all his five senses. He seemed to have concluded that there was no living creature hiding nearby.

 _Actually, there's someone hiding behind us._

Ainz was proud of the person sneaking behind him.

The group — save for two people — was filled with tension as they walked silently through the forest, where the sun's light could not penetrate and which was surprisingly cool. They sweated heavily because the terrain was difficult and they were under no small amount of mental stress.

Finally, they reached a clearing that was roughly fifty meters across.

"We've arrived at our destination. We'll spread out from here and pick herbs."

Everyone began setting their gear down after they heard Nfirea unburdening himself of his baggage. However, they did not relax. Instead, they carefully observed their surroundings, ready to deal with any sudden developments.

This was because they were no longer in the world of men.

"Then, we'll move as we planned earlier."

After Nfirea replied to that statement in the affirmative, Ainz tied a rope to a nearby tree, then picked the other end up and headed into the forest.

The rope he was holding was not thick, but it was very strong. It would not snap just by being dragged along the ground. While holding the rope, Ainz and Erika could move in a straight line into the forest.

Normally speaking, it was almost impossible to move in a straight line, since the trees would get in one's way. However, the rope they were holding showed the path, and so the two of them could proceed despite their inexperience with the forest.

They moved about fifty meters into the forest, stopping when the rope had almost run out.

Trees and vegetation blocked the way behind them, so they did not worry about being spotted. There was someone nearby who could immediately deal with anybody who was following them, so there was no need to fret about that either.

"Here should be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure. Then, let's discuss something. I suppose you do know about it by now, don't you?"

"...It's about how to improve your reputation, isn't it?"

Ainz nodded, but he had other reasons for him to ask that question. But he gestured her to continue.

"I see. But... May I ask how you plan to do that? Does it involve finding a lot of the herbs they want?"

Ainz looked quietly at Erika, and then shook his head. From this point, Ainz knew that Erika already has an answer the instant he shook his head as she said:

"You plan to fight the Wise King of the Forest, weren't you?"

Ainz merely nodded, starting to understand how much knowledge this girl knew about him and his motives. Regardless of that, he explained to her:

"Yes, what you said was true. My aim is to impress my might upon them in an easily understandable way."

"...Was the battle with the Ogres not enough to convince them of your power?"

"...You're not wrong to say that, but Goblins and Ogres are not enough. When they discuss my accomplishments back in town, there's a world of difference between saying I slew an Ogre in one blow and saying I defeated the Wise King of the Forest. One of them will spread much faster and further than the other. This is why I need to put on a good show."

"Is that so? But, to think you've thought it to an extent such as this... Still, how will we find that Wise King of the Forest?"

"I've already planned for that."

Just as Erika was about to ask, a third speaker cut in.

"I suppose you're asking me, Momon-san?"

Erika jerked her head over toward the source of the sudden voice. She even thrust her right hand out, preparing to aim and cast a spell. However, her face under her mask changed immediately upon seeing who the speaker was.

"...Who are you? ...And why are you here?"

"Ah, sorry. I suppose introductions have to be made, even in such an untimely manner. Very well, my name is Pandora Ooal Gown, and I'm here to assist you and Momon-san in your endeavors. If I may ask, what is your name, mein Fräulein?"

A doppelganger in strange military clothes appeared out from behind a nearby tree, with an aura that seemed to say "I am cool," on his very being.

"...Erika... My name is Erika... Nice to meet you." Erika replied, in a surprisingly timid manner. Her words sounded like mumblings rather than an actual reply. Ainz couldn't tell if she's flustered under that mask of hers.

 _Eh? She's like that when I first met her back in E-Rantel. Was she this socially awkward? Come to think of it, she only acts like that in awkward moments when we're both alone._

As Ainz thought of it, the more they were straying off topic. Fortunately, it wasn't the case.

"...May I ask when you arrived?"

"Hmm? Ah, I've been following you and Momon-san ever since you entered the forest."

Ainz has yet to know that Pandora was a ninja-cum-ranger, so tracking people in the forest was child's play to him. While it was true that Lukrut was also a ranger, the difference in their abilities was so great that there was no way he could have spotted him.

But for Ainz, he believed he used one of his comrades' form in order to pull it off.

"So, my job here is to find the monster called the Wise King of the Forest, then urge it to attack you, Momon-san. I suppose there isn't more that I can be wary of, is there?"

"That's right. According to our previous intelligence, the Wise King of the Forest is a four-legged beast with silver fur and a snake-like tail. As for its abilities, they say that it could cast magic. Does that remind you of anything?"

"Hm, it's fine. Perhaps it was that slumbering beast I've seen before," Pandora replied as he glanced upward.

"If that's the case, do you want me to transform to Aura-san to tame it directly?"

"...That is also an alternative, but let's not."

Pandora mentioned Aura — one of the twin Floor Guardians of the Sixth Floor — the beast tamer should be able to easily subdue the Wise King of the Forest. However, it would be troublesome if someone found out that Ainz had been pulling all the strings. Therefore, it would be wiser to avoid having to worry about such things.

 _The question was, could he transform to her despite not knowing what she exactly looked like?_

That question was difficult to answer. So Ainz decided not to delve into it, and turned to Erika.

"Erika would you please move about fifteen— no. Twenty meters. This is a private matter that only me and Pandora-san should discuss alone"

Erika nodded in silent agreement as she walked fifteen meters away from them.

Ainz looked at Erika in the distance for a bit, then turned to Pandora.

"Then, by the way, Pandora, how's the progress on that matter I asked you to handle?

"Ja!"

Pandora swiftly genuflected before Ainz, in the manner of a vassal to his liege.

It did not quite seem like Pandora's style, but Ainz responded in kind, listening to his report in his capacity as his master and father.

"The order you gave me to 'investigate and control the interior of the forest, verify if there are any lifeforms willing to obey you, and set up a resource storehouse,' is going well, Father."

"Is that so," Ainz replied simply.

Before heading to E-Rantel, Ainz had handed down different orders only Pandora and his men to handle. The reason he ordered him — including his men — to scout the Great Forest was in order to ensure the safety of Carne and collect information.

As for the resource storehouse, it might be better to describe it as more of a shelter. The reason he ordered him to build it there was to provide a hiding place in case there was an emergency and he could not return to Carne. In addition, it would be best to have an alternate base of operations to avoid his location being revealed. And of course, it could be used to store all manner of supplies and resources.

He had ordered him to find creatures which would obey him because he wanted to see if he could powerlevel them. In addition, he wanted to learn about how one went about gaining levels in this world.

Because of this string of tasks, Pandora, Anglachel, the summoned creatures — summoned by YGGDRASIL currency, which oddly enough worked like that of the game — designated for construction, and other powerful entities had invaded the forest and disrupted the balance of power within it. This was why the Ogres and other monsters had chosen to flee, even at the risk of treading within the domain of the Wise King of the Forest.

"Still, the construction of the storehouse will take a long time to complete. Although preparations are complete, we have yet to find a suitable location for it."

"That can't be helped. After all, it has only been a short while since I gave you that order."

While Pandora had access to some manner of summoned creatures from Ainz such as undead, which could labor forever without needing to sleep or eat, this was not a task which could be easily finished, considering the amount of work that needed to be done.

"It's all right if it takes extra time. Try your best to make it perfect. Make ample preparations for defense, so we won't fall short if we're attacked."

"Ja! Understood!"

"Very well. Then, Pandora, I'll leave the matter of the Wise King of the Forest to you. Also, be wary of that girl. She might know everything about us, so whatever you do. Don't you dare even think of stalking her, she might think we're the ones that are evil. Do you understand?"

"Ja, mein Vater!" Pandora replied dramatically as he stood back up.

* * *

After Ainz bade Pandora farewell, he immediately disappeared from his father's view at that single moment. One might think he was just using a teleportation spell, but they were wrong.

It was a high-speed movement. It was fast enough for his father to think he was using teleportation magic, as well as thinking it was a high tier spell as well.

He jumped branch to branch, bark to bark, and sometimes performing stunts as he quickly went where the Wise King of the Forest resides. He was moving as fast as a level 100 ranger and a ninja would be if some fortunate player had the right mind to consider it in their character build.

There were no gusts of wind, nor any sounds made by Pandora as he traversed through the forest. He was like a phantom, intangible, and indistinguishable to any lifeforms of the surrounding area. If he were to be ordered in an assassination or mass-murder of many creatures — whether they be human or not — they would instantly find themselves in a pool of their own blood. Such a gruesome thought that would make any seasoned veteran shudder in fear.

That was not all, with his surroundings, he can camouflaged himself to blend in with his surroundings. If he were to combine all of stealth skills and abilities to its highest degree, it would be practically impossible for anyone to find him. Even his own father would be dead-pressed on sensing him.

His new classes and skills is what made him extremely deadly. However, that only took into consideration his solo abilities.

If Pandora was in a group that would help distract his enemies long enough to either land decisive blows or instant one-hit kills. With that in mind, he was nigh unstoppable for anyone to face him in a group.

Even in this dense woodland, he was not impeded in the slightest, moving as fast and as silent as the wind.

After about 30 minutes of running, jumping, and performing stunts, Pandora reached his destination.

Pandora blankly stared. If he were to have facial expressions, he was though looking at a cold look.

"Although I should have told Father about the little investigation I've made. However, he did give me an order, so it had to be postponed for a bit."

He did not sound like he was referring to his mission, but rather, like he was an investigator.

Pandora knew where the Wise King of the Forest made its lair because he had coincidentally seen it merely a day ago. Although the Wise King of the Forest was much weaker than him, but stronger than most of Ainz's subordinates, including Anglachel. The level of the Wise King of the Forest was somewhat disturbing.

Its level was 130.

Normally it wouldn't be a hindrance for Pandora and his Father (Ainz) to handle. However, the rest of the people who were under level 100, not so much.

Another reason, however, was because he had found something strange about the Wise King of the Forest made its lair because of the mysterious and unknown runes that piqued his interest.

Not only that, he had discovered two more similar runes exactly northwest and northeast of the residence of the Wise King of the Forest.

If he were to draw in a map of the forest at each of the three locations, it would be drawn a perfectly shaped triangle. Pandora deduced there were some sort of secret location at the center of the triangle, and he would find out if there is.

And so, he made an independent decision to investigate it in his own hands. And what he found, was something he did not expect.

A barrier, a mystical barrier powered by an unknown, but ancient power source. It was powered by magic, but not magic of the Tier Magic System. But rather, magic of a different kind.

This kind of unnatural phenomenon was completely unknown, and Pandora knew it would be risky to nullify the barrier with his own two hands. And so he had made his thorough investigation throughout the night about it, before returning to Carne at sunrise.

It was a shame to have his investigation postponed a bit, but if there was an order his Father made, the creator whom he owed all loyalty, then he had no complaints.

"Now then..."

Pandora reached out to his personal inventory and pulled out the Type 01 Rifle and aimed it where the Wise King of the Forest was sleeping.

* * *

The 「Gunner」class was certainly an interesting job-class in YGGDRASIL back when it was released in the expansion pack called "Valkyrie's Downfall".

One of the many skills of the certainskills of this job-class was certainly unique and only those who possessed this class and several others would be able to use these skills to the highest degree. Few of those were:

「Anti-Tank Gunner」, as the name implies, those who had this skill can eliminate those with high defensive capabilities both physically and magically. However, the downsides was the Gunner to have his or her defenses, both physically and magically, lowered in order to increase the firepower of the shot necessary to eliminate players with tank roles.

「Anti-Aerial Assault Gunner」, as the name implies, those who had this skill can eliminate those with high speed and can also eliminate those with high maneuverability in aerial combat. The downsides, however, was gunner has to sacrifice most of his stats in order to increase the agility and attack power, as well as locking on the target at high speeds.

There was another skill that was surprising to most players. And it's capabilities were—

* * *

Pandora aimed the Type 01 Rifle, loaded with a status debuff called fear, and making the magical projectile physically harmless on the target. Intentionally causing terror was one of the skills 「Ammunition Changer」was capable of. It's capabilities were to change the ammunition to an entirely different material. Whether they can inflict physical, or magical damage in essence.

Examples were sealing spells such as 「Explosion」, and the like would think Pandora as a magic caster with a rifle as his main weapon. His favorite spell that was exclusively for those in the Gunner class would be the oh-so favorite by most called 「Artillery」.

Using his ranger skills, Pandora transmuted the air around the Type 01 Rifle, effectively silencing its rather loud shots. One could safely assume that its effects was comparable to that of a silencer. As a safety precaution, he also casted a silencing spell at the end of the rifle's barrel.

Without hesitating to pull the trigger, the magically produced bullet went out of the Type 01 Rifle's muzzle as it quickly, and silently made its way to the Wise King of the Forest.

As a result, with a terror induced bullet hit its mark, startling awake the sleeping Wise King of the Forest.

Every hair on the Wise King of the Forest stood on end, and it fled immediately. The speed of a terrified four-legged beast was startling. Yet Pandora — who was chasing it from behind — was faster still.

Pandora shadowed the Wise King of the Forest, harrying it towards Ainz, like he was a guided specter of Death.

"...Still, I have to wonder, does this beast know the runes in its cave, as well as the barrier in this forest as well?"

* * *

There was a disturbance in the forest

Lukrut pricked up his ears as he sensed the change in the air. He surveyed his surroundings with a grim expression on his face and wariness in his heart.

"Something's coming."

When they heard this, the Swords of Darkness stopped their herb-gathering and drew their weapons in preparation for battle. Shortly after, Ainz tightened his grip on his nodachis as well.

"Is it the Wise King of the Forest?"

Nobody answered Nfirea's uneasy question as he stuffed the herbs into his bags. Everyone merely watched the depths of the forest in silence.

"This is bad."

Even the usually flighty Lukrut was speaking in a serious tone:

"Something massive is coming. I don't know why it's moving in a serpentine pattern, but from the sound of trampled grass, it should be here soon. However... Can't be sure if it's the Wise King of the Forest."

"Let's fall back, it doesn't matter if it's the Wise King of the Forest or not, staying here is very dangerous. Even if it's not the Wise King of the Forest, we've entered its territory, so the chances of it giving chase are very high."

As he said this, Peter looked to Ainz.

"Momon-san, can we trouble you to be the rear guard?"

"No problem. Leave it to me… We'll take care of the rest."

The Swords of Darkness called out their encouragement to Ainz one after the other as they helped Nfirea retreat from of the forest.

"Momon-san, please don't overdo it."

Nfirea's voice carried an absolute faith in Ainz, and his eyes glittered with admiration underneath his hair. It made Ainz feel deeply uncomfortable and he wished that they would leave quickly.

As he watched them disappear into the forest on the other side of the clearing, a twinge of unease ran through Ainz. He was not sure if he could leave the forest by himself, but then he immediately considered that he could let Pandora guide him.

There was a more pressing problem before him at the moment—

"Damn… They might think it's not the Wise King of the Forest... And even if I bring it back to Nazarick, I need some proof of having beaten it… Should I cut off one of its legs?"

"—Momon-san."

Erika's gaze was far afield, looking at the mighty shadow that emerged from the distant trees. There was no way to make its shape out because it was hiding behind the trees, and without the sun to light it, there was no way to tell if its body was, in fact, silver.

"Has our guest arrived?"

Or maybe we're the guests, Ainz idly mused as he stepped up in front of Erika. He had an idea of how strong it was — what level it was, so Ainz made the logical decision of putting himself in front of the magic caster Erika, who was not suited to melee combat.

Once he got in front of Erika, Ainz felt the air move. He immediately crossed his Nodachis in front of him like a shield.

He heard something like the sound of steel meeting steel, and a tremendous force bore down on Ainz's arms. A weighty and swift object had struck the Nodachis Ainz was holding.

He saw a long, serpentine tail slowly retreat behind a tree.

Its tail attacks like a bullwhip. However, judging by the feel and sound of the impact, that tail must be as hard as metal... Its attack radius of over twenty meters will be hard to deal with, but how does it live with a tail like that?

With no frontliner skills, and no activation of 「Warrior's Martial Prowess and Wisdom」Ainz had no idea how to deal with it. All he could do was advance into melee with his foe.

Ainz sighed. Of course, this was just going through the motions, since Ainz had no lungs. He braced his shoulders into a battle-stance, ready to counterattack. In response to this, a serene bass voice boomed out from the forest:

"How spectacular; to think thou could endure the blow of this one. Perhaps this is the first time this one hath encountered a foe possessed of such prowess."

"Thou… this one…"

Ainz's illusory face hardened, and then he considered that those words had already been translated. Ainz decided that this was the closest equivalent to what had actually been said.

"Then, oh trespasser upon mine demesne. Shouldst thou decide to quit the field, this one shall not pursue thee, in honor of thine magnificent defense... What say thee?"

"…What a foolish question. Of course I plan to defeat you for my own gain... Speaking of which, are you so insecure about your appearance that you have to hide in the shadows? Or are you shy by nature?"

"…What a wild tongue thou hast, oh trespasser! Now behold this one's mighty form! Stare with eyes wide and tongue tied, and tremble in dread and awe!"

The Wise King of the Forest slowly emerged from the trees, revealing its body to him.

As he saw it, Ainz's illusionary eyes went wide.

"Fufufu, this one senses thy fear and alarm from beneath thine helmet!"

A smile twisted the face of the magical beast, and it curled its long tail. There were strange glyphs and symbols on the silvery fur covering its body. It was about the size of a horse, but it was low to the ground, being larger in the horizontal rather than the vertical dimension.

The Wise King of the Forest shrank the distance between them.

"What is this…"

An indescribable feeling washed over Ainz. After becoming undead, all the strong emotions he felt were immediately suppressed. With that in mind, this was probably not a very strong emotion. Even so, he had not felt this in a long time — including his time in YGGDRASIL — the sensation when a monster appeared before him.

"…I have a question; what is the name of your species?"

"This one is known in thy tongue as the Wise King of the Forest. Apart from that, this one holds no other titles."

Ainz gulped, and then asked further:

"Your species... Might they be called Djungarian Hamsters?"

The Wise King of the Forest.

From what Ainz could see, it closely resembled a Djungarian Hamster. Its fur was silvery, or rather, snow white, contrasted by its black, round eyes, and its body looked like a gigantic bun.

Of course, hamsters did not have such long tails, not did they grow larger than a human being. However, those two factors aside, he honestly could not think of any other animal which could compare. Fully a hundred out of a hundred people would agree that it was a hamster. Well, a giant Djungarian Hamster. Maybe a mutant Djungarian Hamster, or something like that?

It tilted its adorable head — it did not seem to have a neck — and the Wise King of the Forest sniffed at the air before speaking again:

"This... This one hath lived in solitude all mine life. This one canst not answer thee, for this one knowst not of this one's... Or dost thou imply that thou knowst of this one's species?"

"Um... Er... I guess, sort of... One of my former friends once kept a creature which was similar to you…"

Ainz recalled that friend of his, and how that friend had not logged onto YGGDRASIL for about a week because that friend's pet Djungarian Hamster had died.

Behind him, Erikal quietly went, "Ohhhh," probably because she had learned something about one of his comrades.

 _Come to think of it, how did she know about them? A question for another day, it seems._

"What!? To think beings like this one would be raised as pets!"

The Wise King of the Forest puffed up its cheeks.

Ainz had no idea whether it was unhappy or trying to intimidate him, or something else. The only thing Ainz could be sure of was that it was definitely not eating.

"Hm… This one prays thee enlighten me on that matter. This one is a living being and must procreate. If others of this one's breed exist, then this one must go forth and multiply, lest this one become a failure as a living being."

According to the Wise King of the Forest's logic, Ainz — who could not reproduce — was unfit to be a living being. As he clung to the excuse that he was undead and not, in fact, a living creature, Ainz weakly answered:

"…Er, it wasn't as big as you, anyway."

"Be that as it may... Perchance it was a juvenile?"

"…No, even fully grown, it was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand."

With a vague sense of sadness, the Wise King of the Forest's whiskers drooped down.

"Indeed, that is quite a stretch... This one must pass the years in solitude, after all..."

"…If you were a more impressive looking species it wouldn't be so bad... But you're a hamster. I do sympathize with your circumstances, but if there were others like you, your numbers would increase without end and the world might end up being destroyed…"

The Wise King of the Forest twitched its whiskers. While its eyes were the same shiny black as always, there seemed to be some anger in its tone:

"What an outrage! Increasing the numbers of one's species is important! And this one hath lived without companionship all mine life! 'Tis only natural to desire others of mine kind!"

"Oh... Um... Well, that's certainly true... Forgive me, I misspoke…"

Ainz recalled his comrades from Ainz Ooal Gown and apologized. Although, he felt terribly mixed up about remembering his friends after being lectured by a hamster and then apologizing to it.

"…Think naught of it. This one grants thee mine forgiveness. Then, let us abandon this idle banter and show each other our fatal resolve. Listen well... Oh trespasser who hath profaned mine demesne, offer thy life as this one's sustenance!"

"Er... Um…"

Ainz felt his motivation draining away.

Even if that cute appearance was just a facade, he still could not bring himself to fight it in earnest. No matter how you looked at it, having the former ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick duel a giant hamster was just sad.

Even if he defeated it, he would have to take the corpse of a Djungarian Hamster and tell people, "This is the Wise King of the Forest, the fight was too intense and I couldn't chase it away." How would adventurers — including the Swords of Darkness — view that? Even in the best case scenario, they would simply look silently at Ainz with pitying eyes.

In that case, he would not defeat the Wise King of the Forest, but capture it alive to pick its brains.

"Erika, fall back," Ainz said, forcing some semblance of fighting spirit back into himself as he gave that order. Erika had a look of absolute confidence in Ainz's victory behind her mask as she retreated to a corner of the clearing.

"Oh — but know thou that being outnumbered is no handicap for this one?"

"…I can't do something as embarrassing as fighting a hamster two-on-one."

After hearing those words and seeing Ainz raise his weapons in a fighting stance, the Wise King of the Forest lowered its body and tensed its entire body.

"Regret not thy decision! Now bear the charge of this one!"

The massive body forcefully kicked off the earth with a mighty bang, and lunged at Ainz.

The flying tackle of the Wise King of the Forest's massive body would have tossed any ordinary level 100 away, had they been hit by it without using any sort of skills and martial arts.

However, Ainz used the blades of his Nodachis as a shield, and took the Wise King of the Forest's charge head on.

Despite its fearsome destructive power, Ainz still easily resisted it. Although he was initially surprised at the sudden display of power, it would seem this creature had some serious firepower to back up its title.

"Muuuuu!"

The Wise King of the Forest was surprised by the unmoving Ainz, and slashed with the surprisingly sharp claws on its forepaws. Ainz raised the Nodachi in his left hand to block the strike, and swung with the Nodachi in his right.

He did not put his full strength into it, but it was still quite a forceful blow.

There was a loud crash, and Ainz's strike was deflected away, his arm numbed from the impact. It would seem the Wise King of the Forest had blocked Ainz's strike with its claws, and the two attacks had bounced apart after an intense mid-air clash.

"Well done! But how about this? 「Maximize Magic: Call Greater Thunder Dragon」!"

A gigantic stroke of lightning that was shaped like a dragon, which was formed into a serpentine-like manner, earthed itself through Ainz's body. It had happened nearly an instant when it had been casted

A huge amount of electricity crackled around Ainz as it danced around him. Any normal human would die instantly by the amount of electrical discharge of this magnitude had produced. Especially those who have worn metal armor as such would be greatly be affected by this.

 _What!?_

That was all Ainz thought of. The spell was certainly different than「Call Greater Thunder」and it was definitely stronger than that.

However, his magic resistance was stronger still and ignored his opponent's magical attack, Ainz quickly swung both his Nodachis at the surprisingly strong creature of this world.

There was a sound of clashing metal again, and Ainz's swords were deflected once more.

Ainz narrowed his eyes under his helmet.

While that had only been a probing attack, the Wise King of the Forest had deflected that strike with its skin. It would seem that its hide was harder than most metals. No, not only that, it was stronger than most items made in YGGDRASIL by level 100 players. The only possible assumption was because it was simply beyond level 100.

Was it not soft and fluffy fur? It was both shocking and also quite surprising as well, but Ainz chased away these thoughts which had no place in a battle.

Ainz's physical attack power would be around that of a level a hundred thirty warrior, in YGGDRASIL terms. However, that was greatly affected by spells and equipment, so he could not be sure. Still, with that as a baseline, the Wise King of the Forest had the fighting power of a level a hundred thirty or so character.

In fact, its level was 130

A smile grew on the illusory face under Ainz's helmet.

"Not bad... Very suitable for melee combat training."

Ainz was certain that as long as he went all-out without the use of his special skills, he could definitely defeat this opponent. Although he had to stay alert, it was still good practice for being a frontliner.

Ainz continued swinging his twin greatswords, and the Wise King of the Forest continued its adroit deflection of his blows. Then another glyph on its body lit up, and it cast a spell.

"Hoh? I have seen that this intruder of mine demesne is immune to lightning. Then how about this?「Triplet Maximize Magic: Vermilion Supernova」!"

Unlike the previous 「Call Greater Thunder Dragon」spell, this was entirely different than the normal 「Vermilion Nova」— which was the strongest fire-based anti-personnel spell in YGGDRASIL. Instead of the spell focused on a single target, it was formed as a sphere, and it's burning heat could potentially rival, if not, stronger than the original spell itself. And it's attribute was one of Ainz's main weakness.

Instead dodging away, Ainz, however, thought it was pointless since it was an area-of-effect variant of the 「Vermilion Nova」spell, and those three glowing spheres surrounded him. Making no room for him to escape. However, he could teleport away from that, but if he could, the giant Djungarian Hamster might have some sort of anti-teleportation spells like 「Delay Teleportation」in one of its unknown arsenal. So he had no choice but to stay and tank its effects.

Before it happened, he could've sworn he heard someone screamed "OH MEIN GOTT!" at a distance. But he later ignored in favor for the battle itself.

And soon, a sea of fire engulfed around Ainz, and covered fifty meters around as the flames, hotter than the sun itself, danced around him. Burning and incinerating any forest life in mere milliseconds within its destructive range.

Ainz was slightly worried that the girl (Erika) had taken damage, and somehow got herself killed. But he had no need to be worried about, he could sense her presence moving a safe distance away from the flames around. She might have been using teleportation magic to escape.

Sighing, Ainz knew the flames around were harmless and he was a level 200 magic caster. Such measly flames won't harm him, only those around Ainz's level are capable to do so.

Not only that, Ainz remained calm, his gaze stared deeply at the Wise King of the Forest. It responded with a similar gaze, and it was more than enough for Ainz to know it was worthy of such a grandiose title of Wise King of the Forest.

Ainz continued to stare at the Wise King of the Forest, as the flames started to die down in an instant, as if it was a mere illusion before revealing a charred landscape of the surrounding forest the two were in. However, in spite of that, he could safely analyze his opponent on what it used to cast such a spell.

 _A different symbol lit up when it used that spell... It seems the symbols on its body represent the spells, or possibly the attributes it can use…_

There were spellcasting monsters in YGGDRASIL. While the numbers of spells they could use varied greatly according to their level and species, as a rough guideline, they could use about eight kinds of magic. Similarly, the Wise King of the Forest had roughly eight kinds of tattoos on its body, so Ainz felt like he was fighting a monster from YGGDRASIL. Or perhaps another game inspired by YGGDRASIL itself.

If Ainz were to guess those tattoos, it would seem some of it have elemental attributes within it. Examples were Fire, and Lightning attributes. And if he were to guess the rest it would be in this order: Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark. There might be Time-related spells, and possibly countermeasures as well.

The Wise King of the Forest quickly closed the distance in frightening speeds for level 100 players to notice, and attacked with its forepaws. Ainz blocked with the Nodachi in one hand and countered with the Nodachi in his other.

He thought of past battles alongside his friends.

Touch Me, who wielded a sword and shield and was one of the greatest warriors in YGGDRASIL. Nishiki Enrai, who bore the twin kodachis named Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi, and boasted the highest attack power in the guild. The man also known as No Second Strike — although that was not actually the case — wielding the twin nodachis known as God-Slaying Slash Emperor and Takemikazuchi Mk 8, Warrior Takemikazuchi.

And then he recalled the brave man he had encountered recently — Gazef Stronoff, the Kingdom's Warrior Captain.

Perhaps Ainz had travelled to E-Rantel in the guise of a warrior because he had been moved by that man.

Ainz mocked himself for thinking of these things now.

 _I can't let my mind wander in combat. Although there's certainly enough leeway for it, I can't be careless... Even if my opponent is a hamster, who could basically be YGGDRASIL's equivalent to a World Class Enemy if it existed back then..._

He imagined the countless sword strokes his companions had made, and Ainz attacked continuously, trying his best to reproduce those moves. At the same time, he used the Nodachi in his left hand to intercept the Wise King of the Forest's counterattacks.

Both sides went back and forth, neither side being able to strike a decisive blow, until Ainz's Nodachi finally breached the Wise King of the Forest's defense.

"What!?"

The scent of fresh blood followed the sensation of the Nodachi piercing into flesh. The Nodachi in his right hand grazed the hide of the Wise King of the Forest, sending hairs flying.

He planned to continue his assault with his left-hand Nodachi, but the Wise King of the Forest sensed it was at a disadvantage and leapt away, landing about ten meters away from Ainz.

 _I've heard hamsters escape their nests by jumping, but I've never seen one retreat before._

Just as Ainz began losing himself in thought after battling the giant hamster, the Wise King of the Forest lowered its body.

Ainz watched his opponent's movements in surprise.

 _What does it plan to do at that range? If it's a charge like just now, then I'll just hold my sword out to let it kill itself... But it's most likely that it's going to use another spell._

The Wise King of the Forest curled its tail up behind it, but judging by its length, it probably shouldn't be able to reach—

"—No, that's not it!"

Ainz realised that he had miscalculated.

The tail strike at the beginning had come from a long distance away. In other words, he was still in range of the tail attack.

As expected, the tail swung in a huge, sweeping arc, speeding at Ainz with its surprising length. Ainz blocked it with his right-hand Nodachi... And his eyes went wide with surprise. This was because the tail had turned at a right angle, using the Nodachi as a fulcrum of sorts.

"!"

He swung his Nodachi to the side, aiming to cast away the tail which was on his sword. However, he was a moment too late, and the tail scraped at his back, sending an impact through his body.

If it were weaker, an attack like this would not have hurt Ainz even if the tail had struck him dead on. However, it had bypassed High Tier Physical Nullification and had greatly damaged Ainz, but was immediately suppressed to tolerable levels.

Needless to say, for the time after coming to this world, he had felt pain. And if one thought of this as a first-person shooter game, then he had made a great mistake.

"Now, we are one for one."

A mere hamster — anger rose inside him.

 _Then, let me try a ranged attack of my own._

Having decided this, Ainz firmly gripped his right-hand Nodachi. As Ainz was preparing his attack, the Wise King of the Forest spoke, with heartfelt respect:

"This feeling... 'tis truly amazing. Nay, thy strength and swordplay are both breathtaking to behold. Thou art truly a superlative warrior of your caliber. However, may I ask, who art thou, an undead being, and a body of a magic caster be fighting as a warrior?"

There was complete silence.

The strength greatly increased from his right hand.

In a tone that defines tension and hostility combined, he carefully asked, "How did you know?"

"Hoh, so thou hast admit it. Impressive, thou art a magic caster, and yet, thou art fighting a style befitting that of a warrior. Mayhaps thou might be one of the undead beings known as 'Overlords', the highest class of the undead race, if I may ask of you?"

Feeling genuinely surprised by this development. Ainz did what was normal and said.

"The Wise King of the Forest... Well, I've once thought you were misnamed, but it would seem I was mistaken. Or rather, everything started the opposite when I started fighting against you…"

Indeed, it was hard to think that it only took merely a few minutes for this creature to know he was an undead, not only that, a high level one.

Still, he had hoped that something with the grand title of Wise King of the Forest would at least have noticed it in an instant, or showed some sign that it could see through his disguise. In contrast, however, this creature knew who he was from the beginning, and instead, fought him as if it was oblivious from the start.

The Wise King of the Forest must have thought that Ainz's magic immunity was simply wearing multiple magic items when it casted high level spells, which were ninth tier and above. Granted, special defenses like resistance and immunity were practically the same thing in YGGDRASIL, but it instantly knew which spell was effective or not after the first spell was casted. In this case, it might be a special skill that can detect specific weaknesses of its opponent. Ainz's main weakness was Fire and Holy-based magic. So it chose the former.

In the end, it was completely deserving of the title of "Wise King." Maybe if it had been weaker, it would have been called a Giant Djungarian Hamster based on its appearance, and if it were, he would not have held such high hopes. Whoever called him a "Wise King" must have had something that went with him. It was like a diamond hidden beneath hundreds of trash if appearances was deceiving enough.

Not only that, he didn't activate 「Warrior's Martial Prowess and Wisdom」from the beginning of the battle.

Having the will to continue the fight, Ainz powerfully raised the Nodachis in his hands. And pointed his right-hand Nodachi at the Wise King of the Forest and stated:

"You are truly worthy of possessing the title of 'Wise King,' but I'm afraid we have to call this a draw."

"What art thou sayest unto me!? Could it possibly be... Dost thou intend to yield before the battle is decided? Come at this one with all thy strength! This is a duel to the death, O undead of the highest class!"

The words from the angry Wise King of the Forest almost chipped away at Ainz's heart. Knowing full well how he would have ended this.

"That's... Enough."

Speaking with a cold, crystal clear voice, Ainz used his already pointed right-hand Nodachi at the Wise King of the Forest and activated his skill.

「Despair Aura V」.

Since its instant death effect was too strong, even at the Wise King of the Forest's level, he decided to reduce its potency and instead activated 「Despair Aura I's」 fear effect.

A cold, soul-chilling vapor gusted out from Ainz, enhanced with another skill that greatly increases its chances of affecting the target.

The moment that mass of cold air washed over the Wise King of the Forest, every single one of its hairs stood on end, and it rolled over with surprising speed. All he could see was its silvery fur, and its soft, defenseless belly.

"Craven! This one yields to thee!"

"…Ah... In the end it was just a beast... And surprisingly, a beast that is really good at hiding its own image."

As he muttered tiredly in response, Ainz walked over to the Wise King of the Forest, observing its vulnerable belly, and then considered what he should do next.

 _It's a creature of this world, so chasing it away would be a shame. Fortunately, it has both characteristics of a Wise Man and a hamster, so should I raise it as a pet... At the very least, I should make use of its corpse._

One of Ainz's job classes was called Necromancer. It was a class that allowed one to turn a corpse into an undead slave, though the quality of the undead produced depended on the species of the corpse.

The best corpses were those of powerful beings like dragons, while human corpses could become zombies and skeletons. Then, given that the Wise King of the Forest did not exist in YGGDRASIL, what sort of undead would its corpse make?

A Wise King of the Forest Zombie?

"Momon-san, may I ask it?" a familiar voice rang out.

Ainz turned, and found that Pandora had mysteriously appeared and noticing that Erika was slowly approaching them at this charred landscape.

 _I really need to restore it before anyone notices it in a bird's eye view._ Ainz thought, before it was interrupted by Pandora which he said:

"If you kill it, I'd like to ask it first before it dies. I would like to know something personally from this beast. But don't worry Momon-san, it won't take that long, I promise you that."

Ainz lowered his head and looked straight at the Wise King of the Forest, who was looking at him with moist, tear-filled eyes. Its whiskers twitched as it waited fearfully for its future to be decided.

Then, he remembered it was really good at acting like a coward.

Just then, after that thought, he suddenly recalled the words which he had exchanged with the Wise King of the Forest. Ainz recalled the part about friends.

Ainz found that he was hesitating. Then, with a sigh, he made his decision.

"My true name is Ainz Ooal Gown. If you are willing to serve me, I will spare your life."

"Th-Thank you very much! This one shall offer absolute fealty to thee for the gift of this one's life! The life of the Wise King of the Forest shall be an offering to the highest of undead, a lord amongst other lords, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!"

Pandora looked at the Wise King of the Forest, who had jumped up and was frantically pledging its loyalty. There seemed to be something he wanted to know personally from this beast.

Little did Ainz know, Pandora had several questions regarding about the runes in its cave, and the mysterious barrier erected, and hidden in the forest. And what was beyond it.

* * *

Once they left the forest, they encountered the others, who rejoiced that Ainz and Erika were both unharmed. Only Lukrut seemed to have his doubts.

In a tone that combined surprise and praise, Nfirea asked Ainz:

"You're unhurt… Did you avoid fighting?"

Just as Ainz was about to answer, Lukrut cut in:

"Momon-san, what did you bring back? Were you charmed by something? What was that lightning that was shaped like a dragon's maw? And what were those huge flames that are hotter than any fire we know of?"

"I battled the Wise King of the Forest, the battle was hard and intense, but I was able to tamed it afterwards. Oi, come out."

They could all see the pearly-white fur of the Wise King of the Forest as it emerged from the trees. The Swords of Darkness gathered around Nfirea, shocked expressions on their faces as they all took a step back with weapons raised.

 _Well, it's huge, even if it's a Djungarian Hamster... That secretly acts like a damn hamster instead of a wise creature as it is._

Though it had cute round eyes, its massive body was still a fearsome sight, and it was only natural that these adventurers should be wary on behalf of the client they were escorting. With that in mind, Ainz decided to calmly say:

"Be at ease, everyone. I have subdued it, so it will not lash out wildly and hurt people."

Then, he approached the Wise King of the Forest, and made a show of patting its furry body.

"It is as milord says; this Wise King of the Forest is loyal to milord, and is milord's faithful servant. This one swears to milord that this one will not inconvenience thee, fine gentlemen!"

In this way, the Wise King of the Forest displayed its loyalty to Ainz.

Perhaps they were on guard because of its vast size, but since it was a cute Djungarian Hamster to begin with, they would probably stop being on edge once they got used to it. The problem was how to make everyone think it was the true Wise King of the Forest. That was the only thing Ainz had no idea how to accomplish, and its acting skills are why more believable.

And then, things developed in a completely unexpected direction.

"…So this is the Wise King of the Forest! Unbelievable! What a majestic beast!"

— _What?_

Ainz looked back and forth between Ninya and the Wise King of the Forest, checking to see if Ninya was making fun of him, but Ninya seemed to be entirely serious.

 _They were able to see through its facade!?_

"…Wow, the Wise King of the Forest… so the legends really were true! I can feel its mighty presence just standing before it!" Dyne gasped.

 _Eh? Mighty presence? Why can't I feel it? Is because I'm undead?_

"Uwah, that's pretty awesome. You actually pulled it off. Someone as strong as you is certainly qualified to have Erika-chan at his side."

"If we had encountered him, we would have been killed for sure. I expected nothing less of you, Momon-san. Amazing work."

As Lukrut, Peter, and the others showered him in praise, Ainz looked to the Wise King of the Forest again.

A giant Djungarian Hamster.

It did not remind him of anything else. Why were they so intimidated by a beast like this? Hell, why wasn't he was intimidated by it first?

"…Everyone, do you not think this creature's eyes are very cute?"

Their eyes went wide as they heard those words, as though their eyeballs were about to fall out. It would seem that statement was quite absurd.

"Mo-Momon-san, do you think this beast's eyes are cute?"

Of course. After mocking the reply in his heart, Ainz magnanimously nodded, and then he began to wonder if the Wise King of the Forest had used a passive charm skill. Or perhaps, he was simply too blind to see it.

"Unbelievable, that's Momon-san for you. Ninya, you looked into its eyes, what do you think ?"

"…They are eyes filled with wisdom, and I could feel the power of this beast. There's no way it could be cute by any stretch of the word."

"…!?"

Ainz looked dumbfoundedly at the others. After realizing that they shared Ninya's opinion, Ainz felt his head spin for a moment.

"How about you, Erika?"

"With actual strength to keep its title aside, those are powerful-looking eyes, and very cute..." she mumbled at that last bit. At which Ainz did hear her said.

"…No... Way... Seriously...?"

They were all gushing praise with sparkly eyes. In other words, they were in awe of Ainz for being able to nonchalantly call the eyes of such a beast "cute."

Ainz kept glancing back at the Wise King of the Forest, but there was no way he could see anything approaching "wisdom" in them.

 _Could it be that my aesthetic sense changed as well after becoming undead? If it is, well I'll be damned._

Since nobody apart from himself felt that way, it was quite likely that such a change had taken place. However, it was probably best to make absolutely sure.

"By the way, does everyone think rats are strong?"

"Rats... Giant rats? Monsters like that aren't anything special."

"You can find them in the sewers of E-Rantel."

"Giant rats carry nasty diseases. Wererats too... Hmm, since wererats can resist damage made from everything except silver weapons, would they qualify as strong?"

 _Don't hamsters look like rats? And the Wise King of the Forest has a very long tail... It's more like a rat than a hamster... Maybe becoming an undead made me a bit blind._

A puzzled Ainz came to a conclusion. In other words, "This world is weird."

Just as Ainz was agonizing over trivial matters like the differences between this world and the previous one, Nfirea asked in a worried tone of voice:

"But if you take this monster away, and thus its sphere of influence, won't the other monsters attack En… Carne Village because it's not there to scare it off any more?"

Ainz raised his chin to indicate the Wise King of the Forest. It got the message, and said:

"By village you mean... Ah, well, the balance of power in the forest is now in chaos. Even if this one was there, this one would not be able to guarantee their safety by any means. I hope the Lord of the Forest would awaken his annual slumber this time around."

 _Lord of the Forest?_ Ainz thought at that title. But shook that off when he heard Nfirea say.

"No way…"

Ainz did not comfort the shocked Nfirea. He merely smiled inside.

 _The Wise King of the Forest is pretty much a fitting name, let's see what I can get out of this._

Just as Ainz was thinking about how to guide the conversation, he could feel Nfirea looking at him. He seemed to be wavering between speaking and keeping quiet, and his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

Ainz understood the turmoil in Nfirea's heart. On one hand, he must have wanted Ainz to save the village once more. On the other, Nfirea probably felt that it was too troublesome, and did not want to leave everything to him.

As the Swords of Darkness discussed how to save the village, Nfirea made up his mind and addressed Ainz with a serious look on his face.

"—Momon-san."

"Yes?"

A secretly delighted Ainz waited for what Nfirea would say next.

The truth was that Ainz had always intended to protect Carne Village, which was highly valuable as a source of information. However, the important thing was whether he could profit from it. Since he could frame the thing as doing a favor for Nfirea and thus make Nfirea indebted to him, it was like killing two birds with one stone. This was Ainz's plan in order to make up for the miscalculation with the Wise King of the Forest.

However, Nfirea's words vastly exceeded Ainz's expectations.

"Momon-san! Please let me join your team!"

"Hah!?"

"I want to protect Enri… Carne Village, but I don't have the strength to do it now. So I want to become stronger! I want to learn the secret to your strength, Momon-san! I don't mind if it's just a little bit! However, I can't hire an excellent adventurer like you on a long-term basis with the amount of money I have! So please, let me join your party! I have some confidence in my ability as a herbalist, but I'm willing to carry luggage and do other menial labor! Please allow me to do this, I beg you!"

Just as Ainz was blinking his non-existent eyelids, Nfirea continued:

"I've always been researching herbological knowledge. I didn't give that decision much thought because my grandmother and father were both herbalists… but now I've found the path I want to walk, and it's not as a herbalist."

"So, you want to become a great magic caster and protect Carne Village, then?"

"Yes!"

Nfirea seemed to have shed his youthful attitude, and looked straight at Ainz, his eyes filled with a manly resolve.

* * *

In YGGDRASIL, there had been an endless stream of applicants seeking to join the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. Most of them wanted to do so for personal gain, thinking that they would profit from joining one of the highest ranked guilds in the game. They did not think of what they could do for the guild, but what the guild could do for them.

In addition, there were those who wanted to infiltrate the guild to steal its information and rare items.

Because of this, Ainz Ooal Gown did not increase its numbers much beyond its founding members. They were careful not to let their hard work and effort be trampled by others.

Still, this was the simple, pure desire of a man who knew nothing of the guild called Ainz Ooal Gown. His misguided way of thinking was quite refreshing.

* * *

"…Ha, hahaha!"

Ainz laughed, long and loud. His laughter was light and buoyant. Then, when he was done, he removed his helmet and bowed deeply.

He could hear Erika taking a deep breath in the background.

Actions like this did not fit someone who was a god to his subordinates, the father of Pandora Ooal Gown. Still, Ainz felt that he had to do this, without any hesitation about whether it was right or proper. He did not feel that bowing to a young man who was only half his age was shameful.

There was no malice in Ainz's laughter, but Ainz now knew he should not have done so. He raised his head to face the surprised Nfirea:

"…Forgive me for my laughter. That was a mistake on my part. But I would like you to understand that I was not laughing at your determination. In order to join my team, you must meet two criteria. At the moment, you have only met one of them. Therefore, I am sorry, but I cannot let you join."

The hidden condition was that more than half of the present guild members had to approve of the prospective member. Therefore, even if Ainz agreed, he could not add members to the guild on his own. However, Ainz was pleased by the loyalty which his men had shown, including his son, Pandora Ooal Gown, had shown him after coming to this world, and in that good mood, he continued:

"I understand how you feel, and I will remember that you wished to join my team. As for protecting this village, I will exert all my power to aid you. However, I might need your help—"

"Yes! Please, I'm eager to help!"

"Is that so, is that so…"

As Ainz was nodding, he met Ninya's gaze. She seemed to be enjoying the show, which made Ainz feel a little embarrassed.

"Then, we'll discuss that matter later. Before that, I have an interesting story to tell everyone, about the taming of the Wise King of the Forest."

* * *

 _Earlier._

After Pandora had separated from his father with the Wise King of the Forest. He then led it to a distance where his father's own hearing could not reach.

"I hope you're ready to answer my questions, Wise Beast of the South. I hope you're as wise as the rumors of this forest says about you."

"Of course, I knowest you are at least comparable to the lord which I sworn fealty of." the Wise Beast said before it continued, "Then, what art thy questions that thou seekest?"

Pandora looked at the Wise King of the Forest, knowing a thorough interrogation would only lengthened the questions he wanted ask it.

And so, Pandora took the initiative, and asked:

"What do you know about the runes in your lair, Wise Beast?" Pandora asked, knowing getting straight to the point was the best way to know what you want other than using fancy wordplay that would take much longer.

"Ah," The Wise King of the Forest uttered when it recognized what Pandora had meant, "Those runes, the ones that has been inscribed on the walls of my lair? Yea, I knoweth of it. Those runes were made by the lord of this forest, the strongest being in this area, and mayhaps the entire world."

"I see..." muttered Pandora, not so convinced that this 'lord' would be as powerful as this beast says, "Next, is the barrier hidden in this forest, is it perhaps where the Lord of the Forest resides, Wise Beast?"

The Wise King of the Forest nodded, "Yea, what thou saith is true. What lies beyond the barrier is a realm which no mere mortal shall enter. Even this Wise King cannot enter as well. Only he that erected that barrier will allow those who may seeketh him can enter, and that being is the lord of this forest."

"Do you know who is this 'lord' you speak of?" asked Pandora, feeling quite intrigued, betraying his previous feelings about this 'lord' that the Wise King of the Forest portrayed.

"Yea, I know of him. He beareth his figure unto me two centuries ago in this very forest and fought, what you call in your tongue, a Demon God. He is powerful, exceedingly so, far beyond milord has shown."

"And yet you swore fealty to my father, isn't that a sign of betrayal to that being you so revere?"

"Nay, thou son of milord. I did not swore fealty to that magnificent being, he said that I was not worthy to serve him, but said there is one that I should swore my service to that great being. And that being your father, or so what he foretold two centuries ago."

"...How did he know my father, Ainz Ooal Gown?"

By this revelation made Pandora genuinely curious. What kind of being that knows who knows about his father, and what this beast supposed to serve.

Then, Pandora asked a question that would surprise anyone who heard of him.

"Then, who is this 'lord'?"

Then, it was a question that Pandora asked would surprise anyone who heard of him, and those who recognized it.

"His name is Hejinmal. The Lord of the Forest, and he that is called the Frost Dragon Overlord. And his power Rivaled that of the World Serpent, whose level is that of Ninth Tier."

* * *

 **And cut!**

 **Muhahahaha! Another cliffhanger, hahahaha!**

 ***Cues booing in the background***

 **Oh, come on! This isn't the first time I've made a cliffhanger, and you people should know that!**

 ***Ahem* That aside, I hope you like this story, if you do, be sure press the fav and follow button, and be sure to leave a review. Cuz, reviews are what motivates me for making this story.**

 **And if you people asked, "Why the hell Jormungand is at Ninth Tier, isn't he supposed to be Seventh Tier?". To explain in a simple manner, that was outdated information Jack thought back in Volume I Epilogue.**

 **Okay, here are some levels that some people might not know about.**

 **Power Levels:**

 **Anglachel = Level 66**

 **Former Sunlight Scripture = Level 63**

 **Londes = Level 42**

 **Hamsuke = Level 130**

 **Clementine = Level 135**

That's all, gabrielchiong11 out!


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